Trials and Tribulations
by ABCCJPTT
Summary: First HP fic don't kill me. Hermione learns more than just how to play quidditch. Cho loses something important, but gains another thing in return.Femmeslash HermioneCho.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Harry Potter. Haha.

**note:** I apologize beforehand for any incorrect information because I mostly write anime fanfictions, not HP ones. :D And there is shoujo-ai in this story which is, girl/girl relationships. If you don't like, then don't read. Takes place around the time of their 5th year at Hogwarts.

Trials and Tribulations 

Chapter 1

"Alright then, first yers gather o'er here!" bellowed Hagrid as frightened newcomers walked tentatively over to the enormous half-giant.

As the small students crowded around Hagrid, a few of them noticed a certain famous fifth year student. Multiple pairs of eyes followed him as he walked on to Hogwarts with his two friends beside him.

"Look, it's Harry Potter," whispered some of them. The mysterious, dark-haired boy with glasses and an unmistakable scar turned his head slightly to acknowledge some of the gossiping first years. He flashed a smile and some of the girls giggled before the girl with frizzy brown hair to his left grabbed his robe.

All of the students filed into the grand hall. Floating candles hovered at different heights above the different houses as everybody waited anxiously for Dumbledore to give his speech.

The bearded wizard, who's glimmering silver hair shone in the candlelight, stood up and clapped his hands.

"If I may have your attention please! I must say, it is wonderful to see so many fresh face as well as some old ones. This year shall be packed with new and exciting adventures…"

Ron yawned and started to nod off. Hermione gave him a sharp jab into the side as she told him to pay more attention to the speeches. "Honestly Ron, you never listen to anything the teachers say, let alone your friends."

He blinked a few times, and rubbed his eyes lazily, "…Uh…mm…oh, were you saying something Hermione?"

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Ugh, men…" she muttered under her breath. Staring at the front of the grand hall, she watched in amusement as the sorting hat recited its yearly poem. _Thank goodness there were no warnings at the end of this year's recital._ She thought.

"Hey Harry, maybe when-" she glanced over to her left, but noticed that his attention was also starting to stray from the sorting hat. He seemed to be glancing over in the area of the Ravenclaw house, and more precisely, the area of Cho Chang. _Nobody ever pays attention in the beginning anyways…_ thought Hermione dismally.

_Nobody gives any recognition to the teachers._ She looked around the room and noticed that practically all the students, including some of the first years that had already been sorted were starting to fall partially asleep.

"ZELLER, ROSE……HUFFLEPUFF" Professor McGonagall picked up the hat as the last person was sorted. Dumbledore smiled, stood up, and then clapped his hands rather loudly. "I see that the sorting hat has gathered the attention of _so_ many of you, and so I propose that the food should be served right now."

Platters of food and drink appeared suddenly on every table and everybody woke up with the sight and smell of something to eat. Ron was piling food onto his plate as he noticed Harry just absentmindedly taking bites of a piece of rhubarb pie. He apparently didn't care the pie was usually for dessert, but he did seem to care about something interesting over in Ravenclaw.

"Jeez Harr', you donf stilf bike 'er, do you?" He said through a mouthful of food. Hermione grimaced as she attempted to wipe off the crumbs of food particles that speckled her robe's sleeve. "Ron! Bite, chew, swallow, then talk! Not bite, talk, spew food, chew, then swallow." She noticed Harry's head was off in the clouds as he put marmalade on his potato.

"Harry, I know you may be attracted to her, but remember, she still could be grieving over the loss of Cedric Diggory. I hope you still can recall last year's events at the Triwizard Cup Tournament…" she said quietly.

Harry's head snapped around, as he glared at her, "Of course I remember! It's impossible to forget something like that. It was devastating! Why would I not remember anyways? And don't understand like you know either."

Hermione just kept chewing her food slowly in silence.

As the large platters of food began to slowly diminish, time began to slowly fade into night.

"Prefects, please escort your houses to the proper dormitories. Do so with responsibility and the utmost care," said Dumbledore with a hint of seriousness behind the request.

Ron and Hermione, along with two other fellow Gryffindors, led the way for the group of people through the moving staircase room.

"Please be careful when using these stairs, for they move." Stated Hermione. Ron snickered, "Well of course they move, this is the moving staircase room." She stared him down. They finally arrived at a painting of a rather large lady eating some pie.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia," said Ron. A plump finger shot up, "Just a minute young man! Can't you see I am enjoying some relatively delicious pie right at this instant?" said the painting through mouthfuls of food. Hermione coughed loudly and the fat lady stared at her.

"Mimbulus Mimbletonia." The fat lady grumbled and set aside her pie as she slid backwards letting the tired Gryffindors gain access to their beds.

Hermione took a seat in a comfortable chair next to the fire in the common room. She slumped into the cushions as she rubbed her temples. _This year will be tough. With the O.W.L. and all of the classes we're all taking, I don't know how we'll manage to be able to stand let alone breath by the end of the year…_ Her thoughts were interrupted as Harry took a seat in the chair across from her.

He still had that glazed look in his eye and a childish grin played across his lips. Hermione rolled her eyes, "Oh come on Harry, you're behaving like a giddy school girl just thinking about her. I'd say I'm just about to get rather ill. She's not exactly the best girl out there for you."

He hadn't looked up at her. The light from the embers in the fireplace danced in his eyes as he finally glanced in her direction. "Jealous are we? Hermione Granger, I never would have thought!"

Taken aback, her eyes grew wide with the accusation, "How can you think I like you? Oh, far from it Harry. Not that that I'm not your friend or anything, but let us just keep it at that, for both our sakes," she paused, "and our sanity as well." She added.

Ron walked up behind her and placed his arms on her shoulders, "How you doing grumpy face? Are you already telling Harry that he should be studying? Blimey, it's only the first day and we're being attacked." She rolled her eyes and grabbed a pillow, smacking Ron clean in the face.

Harry snapped out of his romantic trance and laughed at them. "Lets get some sleep for tomorrow, so we can actually pay attention in class."

Hermione beamed, "Really?"

"Nope."

Ron and Harry laughed hysterically as they walked to their dormitories for some rest. Hermione on the other hand, just sulked away, not wanting to believe that she had completely fallen for that headfirst.

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It had only been one month into the semester and Harry had already gotten chewed on and spat out by Professor Umbridge. He had been given a week's worth of detentions for defying her and also making 'false' claims about Voldemort. Hermione, though she did voice her opinion against Professor Umbridge, she never went as far as to upset her, let alone any other teacher in the whole school.

But this, _this _was ridiculous!

The three of them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, were sitting once again in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class with the most absolute worst teacher ever to teach the class. She sat there silently grumbling to herself. A chapter could only be interesting for the first few times read, unless it was extremely interesting, but once it got to the point of rereading the same passages over for the 11th time, Hermione thought it was enough.

_ just can't possibly take this anymore! I am learning absolutely nothing, and we will never be able to actually practice any of the spells this tyrannical nutcase is teaching us. Why, if I even come close to failing or getting bad marks on my O.W.L. then…then…then I'll…_

"Miss Granger! Would you please keep your head out of the sky and at least try and attempt to read the chapter. Well, that is, unless you are a slow reader, then you can always pick up the slack as homework," Professor Umbridge cleared her throat, "but that does not mean you are allowed to slack off. 5 Points from Gryffindor."

Malfoy and his crew of Slytherin friends snickered at the comment, and they were even heard whispering 'mudblood, mudblood, mudblood' in her direction. _This is… it is totally and completely… ugh, _"This is totally unacceptable and wrong! You can't just take points for something as petty and mundane as 'spacing out' as you say!" exclaimed Hermione.

Professor Umbridge just smiled her wicked, crooked smirk that made her look increasingly more like a lowly toad, "Watch me. 10 More points from Gryffindor for opposing a teacher in an uncalled for outburst. Are we clear Miss Granger?"

Through her clenched fists, she could hear Ron whispering to her, "It's not worth it, sit back down…"

Swallowing her pride, she sat back down, realizing that she had just made an irrational outbreak that was completely the opposite of how she normally acted.

Grinning over her small victory, the toad of a teacher turned back around and tapped the blackboard, "Now that that was out, please turn to page 256. There will be no need to talk."

That was it. Something had to be done, and a plan was already being formulated in Hermione's mind.

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Time went on, and the classes with Professor Umbridge were not any better. Harry still had to pay his detentions in her class writing lines with the horrid enchanted quill that cut deep into the hand.

It was after midnight as Harry came slowly walking into the Gryffindor common room. He slumped down into the inviting softness of the armchairs near the dying fire. Poking around the embers he stared at the red engraving on his hand. Professor Umbridge was a grade 'A' lunatic. What kind of a teacher punishes students by doing so horrid as using their own blood to write down lines?

Harry desperately wanted to get this teacher for the horrible fraud she was, and surprisingly, it was Hermione who came up with one of the best plans to deal with this lady. Suggesting assembling her and Ron to be taught by Harry the defense against the dark arts was a great idea. At first, Harry had been a bit skeptical about the whole idea, denying that most of his exploits in these past few years were merely a lucky break, a fluke. With enough coaxing however, they were able to persuade him to meet at The Hog's Head to see possible people who also wanted to learn how, and to protect themselves against the dark arts.

One by one, students from all houses except Slytherin came into the Hog's head, their faces darting left and right to see if they had come to the right place at the right time. As soon as they saw Hermione, they knew they came to the right place, and so they ordered a butterbeer and sat down at the table.

The last people to enter the muggy pub were Cho Chang and her friend Marietta, who was currently eyeing everyone suspiciously. Hermione took a seat next to Harry and carefully drank a sip of her butterbeer. She caught a glimpse of something shining and black movement to her left, and she noticed that Cho took a seat next to her.

Harry suddenly turned beat red as he realized who had decided to sit so close to him. "Err, um… yes, um… mostly being Hermione's idea… um… err, we uh… decidedtoseehowmanyofyouguyswanttolearnhowtodefendyourselvesagainstthedarkarts!" he said nervously.

"Blimey, slow down there Harry. Talk slower. It's okay, we're all friends here I think, no need to be rushing about anything." Said Ron.

Hermione sighed at the incapacitated Harry and decided to speak, since he was evidently incapable with Cho in his presence, "What Harry said was that, due to something that I asked him, he would teach us, and help us practice, defense against the dark arts. I certainly do not want to fail my O.W.L. just because some incompetent teacher like Professor Umbridge cannot teach, and will not let us practice in class." Hermione looked at the other students and felt triumphant.

And also suddenly very nervous as Cho and her made direct eye contact and she smiled warmly. Hermione, normally so cool, calm, and collected, was caught off guard and suddenly flushed a deep crimson in some weird sudden embarrassment.

"Well, uh…" she stuttered, "I doubt that um… any of you want to fail your O.W.L. and get bad marks." She sat down, completely flustered. _Oh Hermione, what happened to you? What happened to all of those times practicing speech in front of classes and also performing magic in front of gigantic crowds of people? It was a group of barely sixteen people and you freak out. How professional._

Harry had regained his confidence and began to talk more about what he would be teaching them. Hermione kept her head tilted to the side for two reasons mainly. Firstly, to be polite and at least look like she was paying attention, which she was, and secondly, to avoid having to look at Cho, who's dark eyes were piercing and mysterious.

She reached out her hand to feel for her butterbeer mug, but instead she grabbed a hold of something soft and delicate. _What on earth…?_ She turned her head and it dawned on her that she had grabbed Cho's tanned but soft hand. They stared, turned their heads to make eye contact, and then immediately pulled away.

Hermione was blushing furiously as she stammered out an apology, "I-I'm terribly sorry, I was trying to pick up my drink, but I-I guess I missed. The consequences of not looking where I was reaching, eheh…" she gave out a pathetic chuckle as she seized her butterbeer and buried her face in the mug to avoid her embarrassment. _Of all people, why Cho? That was very sad to say the least._

As the meeting was about to end, she suddenly remembered something important and began to rummage through all of her pockets. Harry looked at her as she fished out a piece of parchment and quill so that everyone could write their names down.

Everybody agreed, even if a bit halfheartedly. "Don't worry, it won't fall into any of the teacher's hands. It will be safe, and not left out in the open for all to read. Trust me."

And with that, the people who had come into the Hog's Head pub with not even the faintest idea of what they were doing, left it with the secret in their mind that they were going to defy Professor Umbridge by doing the secret defense against the dark arts training right under her large nose.


	2. Chapter 2

**Trials and Tribulations**

Part 2

"Welcome to the Room of Requirement," said Harry as he addressed all of the people who had shown up at the Hog's Head meeting, "this is where we will be having our meetings, and it is very safe here."

Hermione was sitting on a leather brown cushion reading _Jinxes for the Jinxed _that she had found after entering the mysterious room.

_Well, all of the people who were at the meeting actually decided to show up here tonight. Perhaps they actually are really interested in learning more about the defense against the dark arts. Oh well, I have a good book to read. I'll pay attention after Harry's speech._

"As you guys know by now, we are really, really upset with Professor Umbridge, and we all probably wish to do a few hexes against her, but today, we'll just be studying some basic defensive spells. No complicated things until probably alter on, maybe when it gets a bit closer to O.W.L. time. Okay, you guys all know Expelliarmus, right? Get into pairs, and we'll practice."

Zacharias rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that sounded a lot like the word tedious. Nevertheless, everybody chose their partners, and began to try and shoot each other's wands away from their hands.

Hermione continued to sit in her cushion as she observed everyone in the room attempts to perform the Expelliarmus against one another. Harry was walking around, surveying each person's attempts, giving a few pointers here and there, but he continued to eye Cho Chang in periodic intervals. Hermione shook her head and sighed.

_ Boys will be boys I guess… _

"Hey Hermione, come practice with me!" shouted Ron. Upset with having being disrupted from her reading, she gave him an evil scowl, but decided she should go help him out anyways.

"Expelliarmus! Bah, I missed. Expelliar- Ow! Guess I'll have to go fetch m' wand again…" Ron seemed to be having an off day, seeing as how this spell was a very simple one. She was already successful in deflecting, and then knocking away his wand multiple times.

"Ah!" a wand went flying through the air and poked Hermione in the eye, allowing Ron a chance to knock her wand away, which also just happened to hit her in her other eye. "What's wrong with your peoples' aiming! Honestly…" She shook her head as she continually kept blinking her stinging eyes. Tears blurred her sight, but as her vision started to return back to normal, Cho's worried face came into view.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, uh, what I meant is, it was an accident. Marietta knocked my wand and it went sideways and hit you… in the eye. Yeah, that was me, sorry." She apologized. Hermione grunted at the black-haired Ravenclaw. It was not so much her apology that annoyed her; it was just her presence in general. _She is distracting me as of late. It is starting to get on my nerves…_

"You guys! Hey you guys! Agh. LISTEN UP!" Harry yelled. Everybody stood still as all eyes turned to Harry, who, after seeing Cho stare at him, suddenly lost all ability to speak once again. Hermione once again came to the rescue and began talking to everyone while she had their attention.

"It's really late, and we are supposed to be in our dormitories in a little while, so I believe it is time to call it a night and leave. You all have your coins, so you will be alerted as to when our next meeting shall happen. Most likely, it will be next Monday, same time same place, but the situations can change according to conflicting activities such as quidditch, or detentions. We will see you all next week."

With that, everyone went back to their separate houses in the dark, hoping not to be caught by any prowling teachers.

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Days were going by like seconds as the school year progressed. Quidditch practices were still intense for everybody, and the homework load was not helping at all. Scheduling D.A. practices was starting to get a bit more difficult for Harry, not to mention frightening. Professor Umbridge was passing new decrees left and right. Sooner or later, Harry felt like they were going to get caught. Even so, the secret meetings did continue, and they had eventually come upon Patronuses.

One of the more difficult spells to perform, Harry described how to do it as best as he could. "Well, you just kind of… think of your happiest memory. The stronger the memory, the more effective your Patronus will appear. It will take a shape unique to each and every one of you. Mine is a stag, but yours can be something very different."

Naturally, the first one to successfully perform a Patronus with a definite shape, besides Harry, was Hermione.

"Expecto Patronum!" she exclaimed as a silvery stream of mist shot out of her wand. It cascaded out of her wand like a shimmering waterfall until the shape of an otter bounded around her. She smiled widely at her Patronus. "It's an otter! How… adorable." She said.

Neville seemed to be having trouble. All that shot out of his wand were flares and sparks of bright light. He furrowed his brow in concentration and tried over and over again, but to no avail. "I just don't have good enough memories for this to work. Oh why bother…what's the use…"

As Harry was walking around the room looking over all of the other people, he noticed that Neville was not the only one having trouble. It turned out that quite a lot of the other students could not perform the Patronus correctly, except for Hermione. He saw her sitting in the corner on a cushion watching as her spectral otter floated around her. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a lovely, familiar voice.

"I just can't get the hang of it either. Am I not trying hard enough?" Cho seemed to be having problems conjuring up her Patronus. Marietta sauntered over to her disappointed friend with a ghostly looking fox following her on the pretext of giving her moral support, but really only to gloat in her face about the thing that she was able to perform better than her intelligent friend.

"Oh it's alright Cho," she said, sickeningly sweet, "You'll do it eventually. I mean, not everyone can do it on their first try…" at that point she gave Hermione a glare, "…but not many people can also do it on their first day; like me. Maybe it'll happen next time, right?"

Cho's still eyes looked at Hermione as Marietta was talking, and then she smiled, "Yeah, you're right. Not everyone is that able."

Everyone continued to try their hardest in order to summon their patronus, but their attempts were not showing much results besides a small spark of white. Harry glanced at the clock on the wall and decided that it was getting late.

"Okay everyone, thanks for coming again today, and our next D.A. meeting will happen when I see another opening to schedule one. Get back to your dormitories and get a good night's rest."

Hermione picked up her bag and put the book she was reading back into the dusty shelves of the Room of Requirement. She coughed a bit as the light filth flew in her direction as the book was shoved into place. Walking out of the room, Hermione heard some voices talking, which sounded oddly like Harry and Cho. She pressed against the wall right next to the door and couldn't help but eavesdrop.

_ As much as I hate to admit it, it would have been nice to have those extendable ears right about now. I can't really make out what they're saying… _

She listened harder, trying to focus on what they were discussing, but all she really heard were sounds. It sounded like Cho was distressed, almost on the verge of tears. "No, don't cry! Oh I'm so sorry!" She could hear Harry lamely attempt to comfort her. Someone broke out into full tears right at that moment, and Cho kept talking about Cedric and the stress her heart was feeling right now. Then, there was nothing. _Well, that's odd. Maybe I should just take a tiny peak…_ Slowly and carefully, she turned her head and tried to see what was going on.

Before she ran back to her dormitory, all she saw was Harry and Cho very, very close. So close, that they were kissing. _She was crying and talking about Cedric on top of that! Oh that Harry has some kind of nerve to toy with a girl's feelings like that. He's practically caught her on the rebound for all he knows… that's it. I think he's taking advantage of her confused and saddened state, even though Cedric did die about a year ago._

"Not that any of this concerns me. No, not at all, why do I care what Harry does to Cho? I don't even like the girl, and I daresay that –" Ginny walked into the room and stared at Hermione quizzically. "Um…is someone in here? Or are you just…?" Surprisingly Hermione laughed at how she was caught rambling on about foolish nonsense to herself.

"Yes, I was talking to myself. I tend to find that I do that quite often lately. I don't know why, but some things have just started to bother me more recently."

She walked up to her bed and plopped down on top of it, not wanting to change into her pajamas just yet. _What has gotten into me? I must be loosing my mind what with O.W.L. exams coming up so soon. Why, it's probably just lack of a good night's rest. Sleep, yes, sleep, that's all I need. _

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The library.

Who knew that such a place could harbor such a feeling like safety? Most of the time, all it did was cause students to complain about how much schoolwork they got, or how they weren't allowed to talk loudly in it. Hermione on the other hand, enjoyed this place of solitude better than most of the rooms on the whole school grounds. It was the only place where she was able to find some peace since neither Harry nor Ron would come in here without an actual good reason to.

Currently, she was indulging in an interesting book labeled _Transfiguration Through the Ages._ She appeared to be most worried about this class, though deep inside, she knew that this was only a false pretense. She had something on her mind, but the reason why she was frustrated was because she didn't know what it was, and not knowing things upset her.

This is just ridiculous! Unnecessary things are cluttering my mind, and I can't even sort through them to throw out the trash. I need to focus. If I fail any of my O.W.L. exams, then I will just positively freak out! That would mean my entire career, and quite possibly my whole future could be ruined. What is it that keeps my mind so confused? Certainly I am not hexed or jinxed; it is something that is not magical.

She scowled out of aggravation and then nearly screamed as a hand touched her shoulder. As soon as she turned around, she regretted having that scowl on her face. Immediately smiling, hoping to not have offended someone, she realized who she was looking at. Long soft black hair and a cool pair of eyes to match.

"Oh… um, hello Cho. You startled me. Do you need something…?" she asked hesitantly. Cho gave her an odd look but then took a seat next to her. She fiddled with her thumbs for a few seconds before staring off at a seemingly interesting dusty bookshelf.

"Well, you know about the Patronus, surely since you were the first of us to perform a perfect one. I was kind of wondering if…well, seeing as how you were so successful, that you could just help me out a bit. It won't take long, I just need a little pointers," she said, all the while not looking Hermione straight in the eyes.

This kind of made her a tad bit uneasy, but nonetheless, she agreed to help her tonight. She was free, after all, she had finished all of her homework in the free period that she had and during lunch.

All day, Hermione couldn't stop thinking about it. _I realize she is Harry's object of affection, but I can't quite help thinking that she has some ulterior motive. Why wouldn't she just ask her _boyfiend, _right?_

The word boyfriend seemed oddly bitter in her mind. She decided to push the kiss out of her mind, but still couldn't help thinking just a little about it. It was playing with her mind, and she didn't know why about this either. Everything just seemed a bit confusing.

Later that night, she made her way silently to the Room of Requirement. Checking to make sure nobody was watching, she summoned the door with her wish and then walked inside. Sure enough, Cho was waiting on a cushion with her wand, biting her lip and looking a bit nervous.

As soon as Hermione entered, she waved and gave a meek smile, "Hi Hermione. I was just waiting for you to arrive. Care to help me?"

Hermione gave her a wary look, but gave her a fake smile. "It would be my pleasure." They faced each other as Cho raised her wand, "Okay, here goes. But… don't laugh at me please. Expecto Patronum!"

A stream of silver spurted out and then quickly disappeared. Hermione giggled inside, but no emotion was visible on her face as she walked over to the taller girl. She examined her wrist placement and wand grip. Looking again, as Cho attempted another Patronus, she saw nothing wrong.

"There's not a thing wrong with what you're doing, or your pronunciation of the spell. I believe your only fault is that you don't have a strong enough memory. You need more emotion, more feeling, more dignity." Cho looked astonished, "Excuse me? Dignity did you say?"

Hermione's face remained neutral, "What ever do you mean? I said nothing of the sort. But tell me, is there another reason as to why you called upon me for help, since you normally just ignore me?" At first, a flicker of hurt shot across Cho's crystal clear eyes, but she averted her gaze.

"Well, yeah… I suppose you have a right to have suspicions. Yes, I came to practice as well as ask about…" she looked sheepishly into Hermione's unforgiving gaze and spoke nothing. Hermione's frizzy brown hair swayed as she decided to finish the sentence for her, "…Harry, right? He does like you, just for your information."

Cho suddenly looked a bit angry, "What? I already knew he did like me. I merely wanted to ask about how much Cedric's death has gotten to him, if he really did kill Cedric… or if he's actually just acting."

"Harry would never act about something so deep and grave such as that! Unlike you, who seems to have no honor in dating Cedric's best friend only a year after his death, when you two supposedly were made for each other! Some girlfriend you are, Cedric would be turning in his grave by now, and don't give me that look, I saw you kissing Harry last D.A. meeting." She huffed as she took in deep breaths of air.

Cho looked so angry, that when she raised her fist, Hermione expected to be returning with a few bruises, but nothing happened. Hermione looked straight at her and was a little bit shocked to find that tears were sliding down her pale, delicate cheeks. What she said next made Hermione feel worse.

"You're so mean! No wonder nobody likes you, you heartless…person!" she stormed out leaving Hermione at a loss. She never really wanted her to start crying, she just wanted to make Cho feel a little remorse rather then go jumping into a relationship with Harry.

She shook her head and grabbed her wand. Making her way through the shadows, she silently crept into her bed despite not wanting to sleep at all. It had not gone so well, and she even felt guilty for making Cho feel so bad about Cedric and her predicament.

"Maybe I am just a mean, lonely person."

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The next day Harry, Ron, and Ginny walked into the Gryffindor common room only to see Hermione sitting there, already with a cup of hot chocolate and a large, beat-up textbook by the fire. Her face was a bit pale, and she had shadows underneath her eyes.

"Hermione, you look like a piece of-"

"-sunshine! What're you reading? Is it interesting?" Ginny had cut off Ron's stupid comment and kicked him in the shin before running over to join Hermione near the fire. Harry nudged Ron, "Very smooth you master of words." Ron looked as if nothing was wrong with what he wanted to say. Instead he just shrugged, "What? I was just speaking my mind…" he trailed off.

Meanwhile, Ginny decided to talk to Hermione. "Something wrong? You look very tired."

Hermione put her book down and smiled a weak grin, "Well, I managed not to get sleep at all. I left my room with this textbook and decided to read it. I've been reading all night and now my eyes hurt, but besides that, I'm okay, just okay." Ginny was not convinced even in the slightest; she knew her better than that.

"Okay, so maybe you're running on some sugar and no sleep, but really, what is on your mind, and what really happened yesterday? You were gone for a little bit, and nobody knew where you went."

Hermioned snorted, "So, people actually realized I wasn't present, what a good thought that is. Maybe I really am not alone. Oh, by the way, I made Cho cry yesterday. Made me feel good, then despicable. And you might want to move away, here come the dynamic duo."

Ginny looked surprised and then scooted away as Harry and Ron were arguing and approaching quickly. Once again, it was a heated argument about Quidditch, the only thing that these two ever talked about constantly.

"Talking about that again, are we?" said Hermione nonchalantly, "is there anything you guys were talk about besides that? I truthfully don't understand why it is such an exciting sport, and quite frankly, I really don't care. It's just a sport. Why don't you guys ever talk about school related subjects? Like the oh-my-god-it's-coming-closer O.W.L. exam?"

Ron looked at Hermione with a scrutinizing gaze as he shot back at her, "Well, no wonder you don't have a boyfriend."

Ginny was able to disguise her laughing snort with a very twisted sounding cough as Hermione nearly choked on, then spat out, hot chocolate. She looked at his freckled face accusingly. "Pardon me? How does my ability to get boyfriends relate to Quidditch?"

Harry suddenly thought the ground looked very interesting as he stared at it intently while Ron retorted with another somehow witty comment, "Well, Quidditch is the sport that most men play. So, guys like to relate to it with other Quidditch girls. Since you don't like it, they don't like you apparently. Maybe you should learn a bit of it."

Hermione glared at him, "Well it's no wonder all you guys play that game so much seeing as how you all ride on rather thin and sleek brooms while catching and throwing around balls for fun. Then you go into those locker rooms and change while attempting to slap each other in some way or another. Yes, I see why guys enjoy it so much."

Ginny, who was attempting to take a small sip of Hermione's hot chocolate secretly, had been caught since she sputtered out all of the liquid, with some of it even partially shooting out her nose. "Ow…" she muttered as she went to go grab some towels to clean up the mess.

Harry decided to talk this time, "Well, yeah? You say that you know the most information about everything, yet you know nothing about Quidditch just because you claim it is a waste of time! Well, I bet you that no matter how hard you train or try, you could never make it on the Gryffindor Quidditch team!"

Hermione's eyes widened as she grinded her teeth in anger as her ego, and also her intelligence, was insulted. "I can learn how if I tried hard enough! I can make the team if I just made my best attempt and if I practiced! So don't make me laugh."

It was Ron's turn to talk back to her, "Oh yeah? We'll make a bet with you. If you can't get on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a backup, then you'll have to apologize to us and do both our homework for a week! That includes all of Snape's horrible potions assignments… ew." Hermione glowered at them as she nodded fiercely making her demands. "And if I do make the Quidditch team as a backup, then you two will have to do what I say for a week!"

Harry and Ron looked at each other, completely knowing what that meant; homework, library, and other things that required using their brains. They nodded hesitantly as they made the bet.

The pair went laughing down to the Great Hall talking about what they were going to do during their week off of homework. Hermione looked at the two retreating figures and let out a deep breath of air. She had not even the faintest idea on the rules of Quidditch. She could barely even ride a broom with precision properly. Grim, but also determined, she figured out what she needed to do. For helping someone out as a favor, one usually needs to repay the other, and she knew someone whom she had helped who she would need a favor from. However, it would not be pretty.

"I've got to find Cho."


	3. Chapter 3

**note**: the time breaks still haven't been fixed yet. I'm trying to do that. Hope you've been enjoying this so far

Trials and Tribulations 

Chapter 3

_Where is that girl when you need her?  
_

Hermione stomped through the halls of the whole school looking for the person whom she least wanted to see at the moment. _There are plenty of other people out there, why not ask someone else for Quidditch help?_ She sat down on a bench outside and once again let out a frown of annoyance. Suddenly it dawned on her. _Wait a second, why didn't I just think of going there in the first place? _

She ran off towards the Quidditch area and sure enough, the black-haired Ravenclaw seeker was sitting on her broom alone on the field. She was staring into the sky absent-mindedly hovering only a few feet off the ground.

Hermione walked up slowly so she wouldn't scare Cho, but when she put a hand on her shoulder, she still screamed and toppled headlong to the ground. She shook her head and tried to regain her equilibrium and composure. She looked up and saw Hermione looking down and suddenly she frowned. "What are you doing here? Come to give me more grief? As if the other night wasn't enough, you just had to come back, is that it?"

Controlling the urge to suddenly punch her, Hermione offered her hand, "No… I have actually come to apologize. After all, I am not completely heartless."

Cho looked up, stunned, because she remembered the cruel words that she had also said to the brown-haired girl the other night. She accepted the hand and was pulled up to her feet. Smiling awkwardly she brushed off her robes, "Um… before you apologize I'd like to say that I am sorry as well for the words I told you. You're…not that mean actually. If you were," she giggled, "then you'd be in Slytherin." Hermione looked at her and grinned, "I'm sorry for the words I said as well. Good thing neither of us are in Slytherin."

They both laughed, the tension lessening a little bit, even though an awkward silence followed. Hermione shuffled her feet and started talking, "Um…I was also wondering if maybe…you know, since you're so good at it and all… if you could possibly teach me how to play Quidditch? I mean, it's for a personal bet and I can honestly say that I am quite horrible at the game."

Cho looked at her, deep in thought. She looked intently at her for a minute before she picked up her own broom and walked away towards the locker room. Hermione stood in shock at how she had pretty much been denied.

_Now where am I going to learn how to play Quidditch? Ginny has some skill, but she hasn't joined the team yet. Maybe there's someone else out there-_

And before she could finish her thought, Cho came walking back with another broomstick and some equipment. She tossed Hermione an old school broom and she picked up her own Comet Two-Sixty. "Do you know how to ride?"

Hermione held the broom in her hand and thought about it, then she shook her head, "I haven't really flown; maybe for a few seconds, but nothing more. I have never really been that good at physical sports. I'm more of a brainy, indoor person." Cho laughed and walked up to her.

"You must get this a lot, but you should have been in Ravenclaw. You have extraordinary brainpower and an amazing intelligence. I would kill to be that smart. Well, anyways, I guess I should teach you the very basic; how to fly. Well, pretty much get to your broom and levitate. Hold onto your broom too and just…well, fly. Heh, not much of an explanation now is it?" Cho summoned her broom and zipped off a few feet above her.

She beckoned her to come, "C'mon, you've got to try it." Hermione looked at her broom and summoned it to her hand. She then got on top and began to hover slowly and shakily. _Perhaps this won't be so bad after all, _she thought. Moving slowly upwards in Cho's direction, she grabbed on like she was going to die. "Am I doing alright?" she asked. The Ravenclaw seeker nodded and moved closer.

"Now, just kind of fly around, nothing too fast now, just get used to the feeling of flying. It'll be cool once you get the hang of it. In fact, you may never want to get off of it." She zipped over to the three posts.

Hermione slowly began to float forward. _Don't look at the ground don't look at the ground._ She started getting higher and higher. She ascended until the goalposts themselves were mere toys and the people were little specks. Getting worried, she stopped moving. "Um, Cho? Is it okay to be this high up? I won't die will I?" She heard a chuckle far below her as a little dot started to grow in size. A blue-black blur whizzed past her laughing freely. Cho was smiling widely as she did barrel rolls and sped up. Hermione admired her free spirit as the girl flew circles around her, coming to a sudden stop only about a foot next to her.

"Of course it's okay to fly this high. I do it all the time, sometimes higher. Well, what position were you thinking of practicing for this bet?" Hermione sat on her broom and relaxed a bit, now that the action was over. She thought about what she could do and all of the positions available, taking heavily into account the danger risk.

"Um, probably a seeker since they don't have to worry too much about all of the hazards. Not that it's any less or easy of a position, it's just that it seems better for me." Cho looked at her and grinned. "Good choice. Well, it may be a tad early for you to attempt this, but try and fly straight down to the ground. Remember to pull up the nose so you don't actually crash. I'll fly with you to make sure you don't die. Okay? Ready…go!"

Hermione picked up the nose of her broom and then dipped it so that it nearly was perpendicular to the ground. After picking up speed, adrenaline started to flow through her as the ground neared closer and closer at a faster rate. _This is so fun! This is so exhilarating! This is so… scary! No!_

She had gone at too steep an angle and now she clearly lifted off her broom. Plummeting head first through the air, she had a fleeting feeling of calmness.

_I'm going to die_.

Then, right as she was nearing the ground and almost sure she was going to perish, a strong hand reached out and swung her onto a broom. She opened her eyes and was never so glad to see Cho. The girl had a faster broom so once she saw Hermione dropping, she was able to speed down faster and grab hold of her before she hit.

"Thank you so much! I could have sworn that I was going to be flattened out. That was horrifying! Perhaps I should just-" her words were cut off as Cho interrupted and with a terse command she told her to hold onto something.

Hermione wrapped her arms tightly around Cho's waist and she looked her in the eyes. Her black eyes appeared to have a bluish gleam to them and as Hermione was about to ask what was going on, Cho's mouth twisted up into a smile. The broom kicked off with immense speed as the pair shot up straight to the sky. Tears blurring her vision and air lashing unmercifully into her eyes, Hermione began to wonder if Cho had really forgiven her and if this was some kind of payback.

She nearly screamed as they pulled into a few back flips. Her uncontrollable brunette hair was whipping all around her face as they did more and more barrel rolls and corkscrews. _I'm amazed I haven't fallen off. Why haven't I fallen off yet? _

Then she realized that the reason was because she was clutching Cho for dear life.

She was acting as her pillar of support as Hermione tightened her grip so as to not fall off of the bucking broom. _I'm not going to fall off and die. I'm not going to fall off and die._

In an attempt to relax herself, she leaned her head on Cho's back and concentrated on her heartbeat.

_Badum badum badum badum._

Cho's heartbeat was pounding wildly, and at a speed so fast that it could not be healthy. However fast it was, it still had a rhythmic pulse to it that Hermione could focus on. _I'm safe with Cho here. She won't let me fall off, and even if I did, she'd come back to come and help me. Just like last time._

She closed her eyes and listened to her heartbeat as if it was music to her ears. Cho's silky black hair was fluttering in the wind and some strands were brushing against Hermione's face causing her to just burst out into a genuine laugh. It seemed that it was contagious as Cho suddenly started laughing heartily as well. They finally stopped and Hermione opened her eyes; the ride was over.

She hopped off the broom and was a little bit happy to be on solid, unmoving ground again. Cho slid off and held her broom in her left hand as the two began walking towards the great hall.

Hermione stared at the ground and spoke softly, "Um… thanks for helping me with this today. And also for that joy ride, it was absolutely the most fun and invigorating thing I have done in a long while."

Cho turned her head slightly and smiled, "No no, don't worry about it. I enjoyed helping you today and… will I see you again on the next Thursday night for some more practice? I could surely show you some more tricks if you wish to do the position of seeker."

Silence hung in the air for a few minutes as Hermione thought about it. _I certainly did have more fun today than I expected… Yeah, I probably should come back._

She nodded, "Yes, if that's okay with you, I'd like to practice a bit more. Every Thursday, every week, same time?" Cho smiled as they approached the great hall and spoke in a low voice, "Yeah, I'd enjoy that very much." Hermione looked at her as they went to their separate tables designated for their houses.

"I would too."

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This had gone on for the next few weeks, these meetings of Quidditch. Hermione would always find herself walking up to the girl near the pitch and would say hi, and then her lesson would start. As much as she hated to admit it, Harry and Ron were right; the sport actually did turn out to be quite fun.

She found herself looking forward to these practices with Cho. When they weren't talking about Quidditch rules and tactics, they were talking about their pasts and memories. She learned that Cho was not that bad a person as she originally thought to be. While talking about something enjoyable, her eyes sparkled and she grinned as if she were a child again, reminiscing about the old days and that's what Hermione thought was cute.

_ She's such a nice person, no wonder everyone is always fawning over her. Not only did she have a wonderful personality, she also had an attractive physique as well, most likely because of the multiple years of Quidditch practice. The way she moves is so… graceful and smooth and…and… _

"Hermione?"

Dark black eyes were a mere foot away from her. Startled out of her own thoughts, Hermione let out a squeak and nearly fell off of the broom she was clutching to. Blushing at her antics and also the person who was in her presence, she lowered her head hoping that Cho could not see the embarrassment written so painfully obvious on her face.

"Hermione?"

She looked up and grinned, "Oh, what is it? Sorry, I was spacing out, not something I do everyday. I must be nervous about O.W.L. exams, or something of the sort anyways."

Cho studied her skeptically and then flew further away as she began to talk, "Yeah, I forgot, you guys have them this year, don't you. Stressful test, but I'm sure you'll pass all your exams without a doubt. Don't worry about it. Well, anyways, today's practice is nearly done, lets go get some dinner."

Hermione smiled and nodded, "Yes, grand idea. I'm starting to get hungry myself. Oh, how have I been doing lately? Do you think I've improved enough to win that bet against Harry and Ron?" Cho smiled warmly and nodded.

As they began to make their descent, something happened. Hermione's broom started bucking and swerving in all sorts of directions, as if it were trying to throw her off like a wild bull. She hung on for dear life, afraid of falling once more. Cho shot her an alarmed look and zoomed over in an attempt to help her. She grabbed a hold of the broom with one hand as she tried to steady it.

"What's wrong Hermione? Control your broom or you'll fall off again!" shouted Cho frantically as the broom started to turn upside down and dart left and right erratically. And as if something had struck her heart, Hermione seized her chest in pain, her face twisting in agony. "Ah!"

She felt herself leaving the broom and falling to the ground once more. _ Not again… OW… What is this? Some kind of hex or jinx? It's so painful! My chest…it's going to… explode…! It's on fire! _

Terror gripped her heart as Cho saw Hermione plunging to the ground. This seems oddly familiar, she thought to herself as she tried to catch up to the fluttering body. At alarming speeds, she rocketed down as fast as she could in order to try and grab the body, but she wasn't catching up fast enough. _ Falling from this height could possibly kill anyone, even the most experienced Quidditch player. Think! Maybe I can… wait a second, I have magic. Duh. _

She whipped out her wand, still flying at top speeds, and then muttered a basic spell and suddenly the grass beneath them turned into a rather large cushion. Hermione landed on it hard and let out a gasp of pain, but she was still moving.

_ Uh oh. Brake, brake, brake! _

Trying to pull upward from her death plunge in an attempt to reach Hermione, she didn't realize that her own broom was going fast into the ground. Yanking on the nose of her broom, she tried to pull up but instead only delayed her own crash. The broom angled slightly as it dug into the ground and got stuck suddenly in the grassy ground, throwing the rider off of the broom and sending her at least ten feet forward.

Skidding across the ground, she tumbled endlessly until her body had come to a stop by hitting a goal post with a sickening thud. Hermione opened her eyes and clutched her arm. She remembered that she had fallen hard on it as she hit the cushion, but then her eyes widened in horror as she suddenly realized she couldn't find Cho anywhere.

Getting up way too quickly, she grimaced as her head split with pain. Ignoring her aching thoughts, she scanned around the field, noticing the broom first, then the body. Seeing the unmoving body stirred up something within her heart, and it stung ten times more than the pain she felt when she toppled off her broom.

Running as fast as her weak legs could take her, she dropped to her knees right next to the motionless Cho. Her blue robes were covered in grass stains as well as dirt smudges everywhere, with a few rips on her sleeves. The once glossy hair now had chunks of grass in it. She rolled Cho's body on its back as she examined her. Suddenly, an image flashed before her eyes.

Cho's bloody body was torn and ripped with a giant slash diagonally down across her torso. A thick sanguine liquid was oozing out of the cut.

Shaken out of the unsettling image, Hermione realized that none of that was real. What was that? Pulse, pulse, is she dead? No… she has a pulse. She's not dead she's not dead she's not dead…

Fear melting away, she struggled to hold up the weight of the body. She put Cho's arm around her neck as she began trekking over to the Infirmary.

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Sunlight poured through the tall windows as Hermione opened her eyes. She looked around and realized that she was in the Infirmary. Suddenly remembering yesterday's events, she leaned upwards instantly regretting that action. Waves of hot pain pulsed through her head and left arm.

"Oh no dear, you should be trying to lean up. You're injured, and you should be sleeping in bed young lady," Said Madam Pomfrey as she waved a ladle back and forth.

Hermione apologized as she looked around the room. A large group was to her right, and she realized that must be where Cho was resting; she always was very popular. The door opened up and she could hear Harry and Ron's voices. _No, I don't want to talk to them right now. Headache… and they'd rub it in my face. I can't let them know I'm asking Cho for help. Think, think, think…_

She dropped back onto her pillow and pretended to be sleeping. Footsteps stopped by her bed.

"Maybe she's sleeping. I think we should come back later."

"Oh come on mate, you can't believe she's really sleepin'? Lookit her, she's faking it, I bet ya anything."

"No, look, she's sleeping. Give her some rest, we'll just come back later and check on how she's doing."

Thank you Harry. She thought as she heard the footsteps go away from her bed. Maybe he understood that she wanted to be alone, maybe not, either way, she didn't have to worry about talking with them. Madam Pomfrey came walking into the room holding a cauldron full of something that smelled almost appetizing.

She waved her ladle menacingly, "Everybody out! My patients need rest, and also food too. Out, out, out, yes, that means all of you! Come back later when they are more fit for discussing what has happened."

The group that had swarmed around Cho's bed sulked out of the room as Madam Pomfrey closed and locked the doors after them. Looking at the two girls with their eyes closed, she decided to just set out two bowls in case they woke up. She walked quietly out of the room. It was kind of peaceful in the infirmary, just the light, and silence, in this room. It reminded Hermione of the library.

"You awake?"

Hermione opened one eye and looked over to the soft voice that had spoken to her. Cho had her eyes closed, but she was smiling. "Yes, I am awake. Were you awake the whole time?"

Cho just remained smiling, "I thought they'd never leave. I felt like a doll on display or something, they all just kept staring at me. I didn't even know half of the people who were looking at me."

Laughing quietly, Hermione turned on her side to get a better view. "How are you feeling? You took a bad fall. Should have saved yourself and let me just explode on the ground or something."

Cho turned to her left and opened her eyes and looked at Hermione. "Well, I did manage to hit my head rather hard. Scrapes and bruises, a broken wrist, damaged pride, oh yes, I'm doing well. I was worried for you, what happened? Your broom seemed like it malfunctioned or something."

Hermione frowned, "I'm not quite sure what happened. It was odd to say the least, but it's probably nothing." She glanced at Cho and realized something was different about her. She still retained her beauty, even with such a hard fall. Rays of light illuminated her shining soft hair as it cascaded across her shoulders and spilled onto the pillows. Her smile just accented her rich hair and creamy skin, but her eyes.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

Cho looked at her deeper than before.

"Nothing is wrong. Don't worry."


	4. Chapter 4

Trials and Tribulations 

Chapter 4

It was a week before the tryouts for backup players for next year started and Hermione started to feel a bit nervous. _Suppose I didn't make the team, would all this practicing with Cho have been for nothing?_ She thought sadly.

Both girls had been released from the infirmary a few days ago, and the whole school erupted into secret gossip as to how both of them had sustained the injuries. Not that it cared much to Hermione, who just continued to study as much as before both school and Quidditch rules. With both the O.W.L. exams and the tryouts coming up, she really couldn't care less what the school was saying about her.

It was twenty minutes before she had her practice with Cho, and Hermione decided to relax with a large book she checked out from the library. The fire in the common room seemed to always warm her up, and coupled with the cushiony, velvet, red armchair, every one of her worries seemed to melt away.

However, her peace was always disturbed when Harry and Ron found her. The two came in laughing and jabbing each other's sides as they came up behind her.

"So Hermione, are you worried about tryouts next week? What're you going to try and do, chaser, beater, keeper, or maybe even seeker? Haha, that'd be funny, being a backup for Harry! Blimey, as if that were possible, he's the best our house has seen so far," taunted Ron as Hermione tried to tune out his annoying jokes.

"Oh give it a rest Ron, it doesn't seem like she's in the mood for talking, I mean, look, she's reading right now. I'd bet she'd-" cut off in mid-sentence, Harry ducked as an owl nearly hit him in the head as it dropped a letter in Hermione's lap.

Ron looked at it quizzically as Hermione opened it slowly. "You never get letters from anybody! Jee Hermione, what's up with this? Come on, let us have a look at it too."

She looked up at him and frowned at him, "No way, definitely not. Next time you want to look at something that belongs in my possession, make sure I'm not angry with you first. See you guys later." She stormed away and walked up to her dormitory.

Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks and shrugged their shoulders. "I guess the stress has gotten to her I guess."

In the solitude of her own room, minus the warmth of the fire though, Hermione finally relaxed knowing the guys were not allowed in the girls room. She looked over the letter one more time before she sighed.

_Hermione,_

_I can't come to the practice tonight. I'm sorry, something just came up. You can go ahead and practice anyways, so you can make me proud next time I see you. Good luck with the tryouts, and sorry I can't be there tonight._

_-Cho_

The writing was scratchy and a bit messy, which was not characteristic of Cho's normal, elegant lettering. Deciding something was a bit odd about this sudden turn of events, Hermione walked quietly down to the common room.

Ron and Harry were still chatting away with Neville Longbottom, whom had just walked inside. _Now is my chance._

Silently slipping away into the boy's dormitory, she ran straight to Harry's bed. Opening up the trunk set at the foot of the bed, she scrambled hastily through the contents looking for a familiar piece of parchment she remembered. _Aha._

Triumphantly smiling to herself, Hermione plucked out a blank piece of parchment and tapped it with her wand, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Dark writing snaked out from the middle of the paper and soon turned into a three-folded map. She looked around quickly, hoping that nobody would find her in the boy's dormitory snooping around in Harry's belongings.

Footsteps were walking around in the common room, labeled Harry, Ron, and Neville. She kept looking at the map, hoping to come across the name of whom she sought. Finally spotting the name, she wondered why she'd find it there.

_ Infirmary _

Cho Chang

Madam Pomfrey _Now why is she there…? _

Suddenly, Harry and Ron's labels started to move. Shoving everything back into the trunk, she desperately tried to escape the room, but it was too late.

The door flung open and two silhouettes cast through the room. Both bodies moved further into the room, and turned on the lights.

"Hey, what's wrong with my stuff, it's all messy."

"Haha, come off it Harry, you've always been a messy person. I'm surprised your trunk doesn't look like that all the time."

Hermione, silently breathing shallow breaths to avoid detection, was hiding in plain sight right next to the door. Thankfully, the two boys had walked right past her. She used this opportunity to run out of the room and straight to the common room. Glancing left and right to make sure nobody saw her exit, she took a seat in her favorite chair.

_ Should I go and find her? Or should I just wait here? _

She grunted and decided to just go and visit Cho in the infirmary. Walking through the halls as if nothing were wrong, she arrived at the double doors. _I hope I'm doing the right thing… _

She pushed open the oak entrance and saw Madam Pomfrey looking Cho directly in the eyes. At the sound of the opening doors, Cho turned around rapidly and stood up as if she was bitten.

"Err, Hermione? How did you know I was here?" Looking a bit guilty, she walked over to her and gave her a quick hug.

Hermione looked at her and shrugged, "Call it a lucky guess. I um… supposed that you'd be here for a checkup or something. Is something wrong? Are you still hurt at all?" Cho shook her head. "Nothing is wrong, don't worry."

Again, that same sentence. Every time she said that, it made Hermione worry more.

"You up for a walk?"

It took Hermione a while to realize that she was talking to her, since Cho was staring off in a completely different direction. She nodded in agreement and they walked out to the garden outside.

They strolled along in silence. Hermione suddenly regretted seeking out Cho because she guessed that it made her uncomfortable that she lied to Hermione about not being there, and instead going to the Infirmary. The dark-haired girl stopped by a bench and sighed.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you the truth. I thought you would get worried if I said I was going to the infirmary, but I guess that didn't stop you from coming to find me. So um… how're things going?"

Hermione looked at her and then stared at the growing flowers.

"Well, I'm a bit stressed out over some things, but that's okay. It's nothing I can't handle anyways. Enough about me, what's going on with you? Anything you want to talk about, anything at all?"

Cho stared at her for a few minutes without saying a word, and suddenly Hermione felt a bit embarrassed and self-conscious. _Cho always did look a lot prettier than me. No wonder all the guys like her. Nice personality as well as good looks, smart too, hard to find nowadays._

Surprised at what she was thinking, Hermione turned away and started walking back to the school. As she started walking, she felt something grasp her hand hesitantly.

She turned around and noticed that Cho was smiling. "I know that we kind of… started off badly, but we're friends now, right?"

Hermione fell in step with her and grinned, "Oh of course. Anyways, how can I deny friendship with the prettiest girl that all the guys drool over?" She laughed genuinely and continued walking.

"…you… really think I'm pretty?" whispered Cho almost inaudibly.

At this question, Hermione thought seriously, "Well, yeah, who doesn't?"

Cho just laughed.

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It was the day of the Gryffindor Ravenclaw Quidditch match and all sorts of blue and red colors were present at the stadium.

Crowding into the seats, Ron and Hermione sat down near Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan. "Ah man, what a great day it is today! Look at the sky, not a single cloud above us! Perfect day for Quidditch, eh Hermione?"

She nodded at him quietly as she searched the player's entrances. The Gryffindors came out first from their entrance on the left and suddenly the crowd burst out in red and yellow waving flags. Hermione cheered feebly, constantly eyeing the Ravenclaw side at the same time. Finally her signature black hair shone in the sunlight signifying her entrance.

Cho Chang waved at the crowd as she went to center field to shake hands with Harry to begin the match. Shaking hands and smiling briefly, the two got on their brooms and kicked off into the air.

The match started and Ravenclaw had the edge, scoring thirty points within five minutes of the beginning whistle. Hermione scanned the sky as she spotted a flash of black and blue. Cho was darting back and forth on her Comet two-sixty as Harry sped around on his firebolt. Both frantically looking for the snitch, the two seekers flew back and forth looking for a spot of gold. Occasionally, they would look at each other to see if one had seen the snitch in a chance to follow them.

Finally, Harry took a sudden dive to the ground and Cho followed suit. They were both hurtling into the ground at top speeds, but before Harry hit, he swerved up. For some reason, Cho waited until the last second before she swerved to her left and skimmed the ground with the tip of her broom. Pulling up, she saw some gold with wings hovering in front of her.

_No way, it's right there!_ She kicked off and darted in its direction. Suddenly, Harry came zooming right in front of her, cutting off any vision of the snitch. Both seekers bumped each other, hoping one would lose balance, or one would be distracted. Hands outstretched, they both tried to catch it, coming within a few inches of grasp, but it zipped upwards. Both seekers hit their tail and it shot them upwards in hot pursuit.

Cho suddenly stopped and began hovering around.

Hermione saw her just completely come to a halt in mid-air. _What is she doing? The snitch was right in front of her, couldn't she see it? It was glittering in plain sight; even I could see it! Oh no… Cho! Watch out, can't you see the bludger coming at you?_

The dangerous ball came hurtling at her, sent from an opposing beater. Cho turned around just in time to see the ball.

Then she fell.

For some reason, she did not try to avoid it, and so she was knocked clearly in the face, falling down to the ground. She hit the hard earth and let out a cry of pain, as her wrist seemed to snap once again from the pressure of hitting something so solid. At that exact time, Harry flew around gloriously presenting the snitch, which he had caught.

He looked down and saw Cho being carried off to the infirmary unconscious and bleeding through a cut on her forehead.

"Cho!" screamed Hermione as she darted from the bleachers running anxiously to the infirmary. Ron hadn't had time to see where she ran off to, so he shrugged and walked down to congratulate Harry on another spectacular game.

Running through the school grounds, Hermione found herself wondering about too many things.

_ Hadn't she seen the snitch? I mean… she was trailing it perfectly, how could she not catch it? Sure Harry had the faster broom, but she sighted it before him I think. She almost caught it, and she even followed it as it went up high. Why did she have to stop so quickly, and why hadn't she seen the bludger coming right for her? _

So many questions to be answered, but once she entered the infirmary, she felt as if she shouldn't ask them at the moment.

Cho was lying in a clean white bed with a bandage around her wrist and a wrap around her forehead. Her face brightened as she saw Hermione walk through the oak double doors.

Hermione took up a chair and sat next to her bed. They just stared at each other for minutes, enjoying the peaceful silence shared between them. Hesitantly, Hermione's hand rose up and rested on Cho's cheek, and she smiled.

"How're you feeling? You took a very hard fall, not to mention the bludger that smashed into your face."

Cho's hand came up and covered Hermione's. "I'm doing just fine. Nothing is wrong, don't worry." She closed her eyes, took some deep breaths, and then opened them again. "Your tryouts are coming up real quick. I wish you luck, I know you'll do just fine."

Hermione chuckled and stroked her cheek, "Well, I had the best trainer in the world. Thanks for all the help you have been these past few weeks."

Overcome with a sudden urge, she placed a small kiss on her hand and stood up, preparing to leave the infirmary.

Smiling tiredly, Cho closed her eyes. "You'll do just perfect…"

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The day had arrived.

Quidditch tryouts for the backup players were being held today, and Hermione was overcome with a mixture of glee and anxiety. All that morning, she had been giggling incessantly, and it seemed like it would never come to an end. Harry and Ron had noticed, seeing as how Hermione was not one to giggle that many times in one day.

Finally overcome with confusion and curiosity, Harry slammed his book down playfully and looked her straight in the eye.

"Why are you so happy today! We're supposed to be proving you wrong in a bet, not make you overcome with a giggle fit, this is ridiculous!" he smirked as Hermione broke out into more laughter.

"I can't help it, I'm just… so… happy!" she gasped out between giggles.

Ron stared at Harry like the world was about to explode. "I reckon she's been given some potion or something of the sort." Harry's head bobbed up and down in agreement. "Lets just wait until the tryouts, then we'll see how happy she still is."

Hermione plopped down onto her bed and settled down, no longer laughing uncontrollably. She clutched the Quidditch rulebook to her chest and stared at the ceiling as her fellow female Gryffindors bombarded her with questions.

"You sure seem happy today! Say… did Harry ask you out?" laughed Ginny, though somewhat with a hint of serious behind her voice.

"No, she probably just found out her grades and had passed them all with outstanding marks!" exclaimed Parvati. Lavender jabbed her sides, "Are you kidding? Grades don't come out until later. She probably did get asked out by someone."

"Ohhh I bet it was that Viktor Krum guy, wasn't it!" said Alicia as she clasped her hands together, "He was a dreamy guy. That's probably why you're trying for the Quidditch team, right?"

Hermione ignored all their comments and just smiled, not looking any of them in the face, "It was none of the above, and for you information, I am only being associated with Quidditch today because I have to! Harry and Ron made a bet with me, and so I must shove it back in their faces by playing the game that they know I showed no interest in."

All the girls sighed in disappointment as they realized that no guy had asked her out.

She stood up and walked down to the Quidditch pitch. Cho Chang was already out there, fumbling with her robes while sitting down on a nearby bench. It was until Hermione put a hand on her shoulder did she notice her. She nearly jumped up out of surprise.

"Oh! Wow, hi Hermione, you gave me quite a scare." She stared at the ground.

"Um…is something wrong Cho? You seem a bit…" she trailed off and sat down next to her, her hand still resting on her shoulder comfortingly.

It seemed like something slipped out of her eye, but Cho turned her head and was smiling. "I quit the Quidditch team."

"WHAT?" screamed Hermione.

Cho covered her ears and grimaced, "Ow ow, not so loud. Um… due to complications, I'm quitting the team…" Hermione stared at her and could not accept what she was hearing coming from the best seeker ever besides Harry.

"Sorry for that scream. Well, um, this decision didn't come because of your loss the other day, did it? I mean, that's okay, you really shouldn't quit because of that. You're so good at Quidditch! I don't understand why you'd want to quit, I mean, everyone makes mistakes-"

"No!" Cho looked into her eyes deeply, "I didn't quit because of that! I told you, it was because of… complications! Nothing more! I wouldn't have quit if I wasn't… wasn't going…"

Harry walked onto the field with a clipboard and a smirk.

"Tryouts, lets begin."

Hermione gave Cho a hug. "Please cheer up…" the black haired girl glanced upwards and flashed a smile, "Go get 'em."

She smiled and walked off to Harry. He looked at her and smiled. "So Hermione, what will you be trying out for? Keeper? Beater? Chaser?"

She grinned right back at him with a straight face.

"Backup Seeker."

His jaw nearly dropped, and in fact, his quill did. "You're… what? Seeker? Haha. Well, okay then. Wait until it is the seeker's turn to prove their skills. I hope you're ready for this, you know, losing the bet that is."

Ron had tried out for backup Keeper, and he actually did an okay job. He missed 1 of the quaffles, but other than that, he did catch quite a bit of them, even Harry himself was surprised.

Then came chasers.

Then beaters.

Then seekers.

"Hermione you're up!" he said as she got on her broom and rose into the air swiftly. From above, she could see the smug look on Harry's face, and also the hopeful one on Cho's.

_ Our training won't have gone to waste. You'll see; I can make the team. _

Harry released the snitch into the air and pressed his stopwatch. "Go!"

In order to make the team, she had to find the snitch the fastest and catch it. Her time needed to be below that of the other people. Scanning around the sky, she couldn't find it. Not even a glimpse of gold was in sight. She flew around in quick circles, hovering around like an eagle, but to no avail; it was not in sight.

_ This is hopeless, perhaps… perhaps Harry and Ron were right. But what about the practice that Cho gave me? All those hours that we spent? Where did it go? _

She glanced down at Cho and saw her beaming smile. It was so bright, it almost blinded her. And then she realized that it was the golden snitch, not her bright smile. _ Even though it is pretty bright. _ She thought.

Plummeting down as fast as her broom would go, she remembered the night that she tried this stunt. She nearly fell off and hit the ground, but this time, she knew how to catch it. She had even studied its moves in the previous games she had seen, and she could predict what was going to happen.

With outstretched arms, she aimed for the golden snitch. Right at the last second, within only a few feet away, it jerked up quickly, but Hermione was faster. She jumped off her broom and grabbed it with both hands securely. Then she realized, that she didn't know what she would do after she caught it. Seeing the ground beneath her, she dove hard and tumbled along the ground, but too happy to care.

Standing up, she laughed, "Haha, look Harry, I got it!"

Staring at his stopwatch, he was speechless. "You um… caught it, quickly at that too. I can't believe this, but you, Hermione, had the fastest time out of everyone! I can't believe it… you just… you… you cheated! Well, err… you at least had help of some sort… I just can't believe it…"

He walked away, mumbling to himself and scratching his head.

Running to the bench, Hermione waved the snitch happily, "Look Cho, I caught it, I caught…"

Nothing.

Hermione stopped in mid-jump and realized that Cho had run off. But… why? Where did she go? Maybe she wasn't even watching at all…

Suddenly disheartened, she almost retreated to her dormitory, until she saw a flash of elegant blue robes turn the corner rapidly.

Cho?

Dropping the snitch and picking up her broom, Hermione jogged over to the corner and spotted Cho…running away. Her black hair blowing behind her head, she turned around, spotted Hermione, and began running even faster. Unsure about what was going on, Hermione broke into a run and tried to follow her.

Corner after corner, the Ravenclaw eluded her only to be caught again by her blue robes. She ran faster and faster, but still she could not catch up.

"Cho! Wait! Come back, why are you running?"

_ This is getting me nowhere! She is far more athletic than I, and she could probably run circles around me! _

She stopped and got on her broom, kicking off into a low but fast hover. She sped around the corner and found herself in the garden. She ascended up into the higher sky to see if she could spot her escaping friend, and she saw her. Cho was momentarily hunched over trying to catch her breath in the middle of a concealed overgrown hedge.

Zooming down, Cho could see the descending shadow above her and attempted to run, but Hermione jumped off her broom and nearly tackled her to the ground, landing squarely on top of her.

Both girls breathing in deeply the scent of the flowers and each other, they both struggled with each other. Hermione had fallen on top, and she was pressing Cho's back forcefully to the ground, hoping to not let her escape again. Gasping for air, Cho tried to wrench free from her grasp, but she couldn't; the Gryffindor was solidly on top of her.

"Why did you run from me?"

Cho closed her eyes tightly and refused to speak.

"Why did you run from me?"

Her eyes remained closed.

"WHY DID YOU RUN FROM ME?"

At the alarming volume that Hermione asked her, Cho opened her eyes. Brown frizzy hair was all she saw, and then something wet dripped onto her face.

"Why did you run from me? Did you even watch me in the tryouts? I did well! I even made the team. I made a spectacular catch! Didn't you see?"

"I CAN'T SEE!"

Hermione stopped her talking and tears. Suddenly, the realization hit her. Feeling guilty for yelling at Cho, she unexpectedly wanted to just hug her now.

"You…why didn't you say anything earlier…? Open your eyes… please?"

Unable to refuse the sound of her friend, Cho slowly opened her eyes. Those once clear, dark blue eyes were no longer crystal. A cloud was growing in the midst of her eyes, something that was too hard for her to bear.

Tears started to well up in those hazy eyes.

"That night at our practice… you know, when I hit my head… I also… kind of started to lose my vision," her voice started to rise, "that's why I went to Madam Pomfrey's instead of going to our meeting. That's also why I missed the snitch! That's also why I couldn't see the ball! THAT'S ALSO WHY I COULDN'T SEE YOUR CATCH!"

Tears slid down her soft cheeks as she stopped speaking. She tore her gaze away from Hermione. "I'm not completely blind, but my vision is just rapidly deteriorating, and I can't help it…"

Both of them just lay there, unable to speak anymore. Cho's cheeks were flushed and red, and she was still gasping for more air as if her airway were constricted. Even still, Hermione could not let her go.

"Why did you run from me?"

More tears slid down her cheeks as Cho looked up and gazed at her. Her hand shot up and roughly pulled Hermione down into a desperate kiss.

With tears still in her eyes, Cho stood up quickly and darted away leaving Hermione kneeling on the ground awfully confused.


	5. Chapter 5

**Note** I've given up trying to make the title in bold underline. My computer doesn't seem to want to listen to me. I also realized that within the chapters, a few of Hermione's thoughts are not italicized, and I'm sorry for any confusion. I don't think I'll do anymore italicized lines. Yargh, I hate you Macintosh and all of your basic but user-friendly functions!

Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 5

Ever since that day, both girls had avoided eye contact. Even while walking in the halls, it seemed as if they were making an effort not to come within the vicinity of each other. This silence went on for about three more days, but it tore at Hermione as if it were an eternity.

Flooded with questions, she couldn't stand not talking to Cho. Finally, she could bear it no more.

Walking straight to the west section of the school, she approached Ravenclaw tower and stopped right outside the knight. She planted herself on the ground underneath a moving portrait and pulled out a book, waiting for Cho to come out.

Student after student passed by her, not really giving her a second thought as to why she was sitting so close to their Ravenclaw entrance. The only exception was Luna, who just asked Hermione if she had read the latest issue of the Quibbler, wanting desperately to discuss the topic of exploding talking mushrooms with her.

Finally the entrance opened up and a crowd of boys was surrounding Cho as she walked by talking and laughing a fake, empty laugh.

She spotted Hermione on the ground, who had looked up from her book at that instance, and stopped, in her tracks. The boys around her immediately halted, but instead of looking at what Cho was looking at, they just stared at her.

Hermione grunted as she stood up, almost swearing one of the guys had drool dripping from their mouth, and walked right up to Cho despite the people whom she was surrounded by. Staring boldly into her hazy blue-black eyes, Hermione grabbed her arm sharply and started guiding her to a more private area that they both frequented often.

"Hermione, what's going on, what're you doing? Let me go! I…don't want to talk to you right now…" she asked as the girl continued to guide her.

Ignoring her pleas and the peculiar looks they were getting from other students, she led Cho straight to a deserted section in the library. With bookshelves enclosing them, and just the fact that it was a library, made it safe to talk without the fear of being overheard.

Both girls stopped in the corner, taking in deep breaths of air from their rather quick-paced walk, looking out through the cloudy window.

After regaining their breath, Cho stood up and calmly looked at Hermione, "What is going on?" she asked.

Dark brown eyes stared straight back into hers with a neutral gaze, "You know what is going on. I want to talk to you about what happened. We haven't spoken one bit since that incident and I want, no… need to know some answers!"

They stared at each other intensely in dead silence until Cho finally took a step back. Her delicate features twisted slightly as they formed into a small frown.

"There's…nothing I can say. I don't even have any of the answers as to why I did that myself! I'm as unsure as you are right now, so just… just… stop bugging me about it! I don't want to talk about it!" she turned around and looked intently at the dusty books on the shelf.

Silence hung in the air once more before Hermione took a step closer to Cho, who had her back turned to her.

"I think we need to talk about it. There is something obviously going on, so I suggest you start talking about what it is that you are thinking right now. Whether you like it or not, I am going to stay here, and I will constantly annoy you with my questions until I get some fine and well thought-out answers!"

Cho rested her head against the wall to her left and turned around, leaning heavily on the cool concrete,

"Fine. I'll tell you what's up. When I first met you… I didn't really care for you. You seemed like a know-it-all, when in fact, you did know quite a lot, and that upset me. Being put in Ravenclaw, we were supposed to be the smartest and wittiest, but you outdid all of us, and you were in Gryffindor. Then it turned out that you were friends with Harry. Harry Potter, 'The Boy Who Lived,' and all that stuff. I liked Harry, I really did, but I also liked Cedric..."

At the mention of Cedric's name, tears started to form in her eyes.

"…so when he died, and Harry came out with his body, I was devastated. Suddenly however, I wanted to be with Harry now, and that was very… dishonorable to Cedric's memory. Well, at least I thought I wanted to be with Harry. We had a moment in the room of requirement…"

"I saw that…" said Hermione quietly. Cho stared at her for a second, and then went on.

"…But it didn't feel right either. My feelings for both Cedric and Harry were fleeting and they didn't really last. We didn't have enough in common, or at least, they didn't understand. However, with our secret Dumbledore's Army meetings, I was watching you. Completing every single task as if it were nothing, I admired your skill. So when you asked for help with Quidditch, I felt a bit…superior for a while, teaching you things that you didn't know. I know that seems lame, but that's how I felt about it."

She looked at the ground stupidly as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"But as the weeks went on, I realized that I was having a fun time with you. It was a different kind of fun, a more genuine feeling rather than the vacant laughs I shared with Marietta. Seeing you drop off your broom, I freaked. My heart pulsed out of control and my chest felt as if it were about to explode. I didn't know what to do! I attempted to save you and ended up hurt in the process. I figured something was wrong with my eyesight when I missed that snitch in the game. I felt ashamed once again. I felt ashamed for trying to teach you to be a seeker when I myself could not see a snitch."

Hermione took a step closer.

"Then I realized something; I would eventually never see you ever again. So when you made that tremendous catch, and I could barely see it, I felt guilty and I tried to run. I… I don't know why I kissed you though. That is something just…unexplainable. I don't know…I just don't know… Not knowing it makes me frustrated! It was a stupid thing to do, and I shouldn't have done it. I don't know why I did it. It was just idiotic. I refuse to acknowledge it…"

Pressed up against the wall, Cho felt Hermione's hand wipe away her tears, as their bodies got closer. Wrapping her arms around Cho's slender waist, she gave her a warm hug and rested her head on her shoulder.

"It's okay not to know things. Not even I know everything. I'm sorry…maybe I just… pressed you too hard…" she trailed off, tilting her head slightly upward to look at her eyes. More tears slid down her face as Cho leaned closer, slowly bringing their lips to a touch.

Her arms snaked around Hermione, pulling her closer into the kiss. Not knowing what was going on, Hermione just kept with it, because honestly, she felt nice and comforted. It was a feeling that was unique; something that not even Ron or Harry could probably give her.

Then it was over all too quickly as Cho pulled away and leaned against the wall with her back turned away from Hermione, crying more deeply than before. Silently cursing, she smashed the wall with her fists over and over again, her body shaking upon each impact.

"Cho, Cho, what's wrong? Stop that, you're hurting yourself!" Hermione grabbed her shoulder but jumped backwards as Cho lashed out violently.

"Don't touch me! GET AWAY!"

In a flurry of black and blue, Cho thrust her aside, and ran out of sight.

Sprawled on the floor, Hermione stood up and dusted her robes off shakily as she tried to process what just happened.

One moment they were kissing, then another moment, she runs away saying don't touch me. It confused Hermione again. Walking slowly to the library's exit, she tried to figure out what was wrong with Cho. She thought about the fact that she was going blind, and how frustrating it must be to not be able to see things.

Another thing was the fact that she could play Quidditch any longer due to the blindness. Quidditch was her life's passion and her ultimate hobby. That would be like giving up books to Hermione.

But the last option, was the subject that she hadn't really wanted to touch upon; the kiss. That made two times they had kissed each other without knowing what was going on. The garden…and now the library. Hermione had wanted her first kiss to be special. She hadn't even gone that far with Viktor, whom she broke up with a while ago. He kept sending her letters saying that he wanted to get back together, but she hadn't really felt like he was right for her.

With Cho however, it felt so right. She experienced feelings that she thought were supposed to be there in a relationship: comfort, warmth, love-

Wait

Love?

Hermione didn't know what Cho was feeling right now, let alone herself…love… No, there wasn't any of that in there. Or at least, not on her end yet…

Wait.

Yet?

Already at the Gryffindor common room, Hermione glanced up and found the fat lady looking down at her. "Password? I don't have all day you know, many things I have to do…important things, many important things I have to do! Like improving my singing…" she mumbled the password and trudged in.

Plopping her seemingly heavy body onto her favorite armchair by the fire, she leaned into the cushions gratefully and closed her eyes. She had too many things on her mind, what with the O.W.L. exams coming up in less than a month. Cho, yes, Cho was on her mind as well, though she didn't know why.

Everything seemed twisted. What were her feelings for her? The black-haired Ravenclaw certainly was beautiful; there was no denying that. But those are just normal feelings that friends feel for each other, or it could just be jealousy that she was more alluring than Hermione.

She shook her head and rubbed her eyes. These thoughts that she was having lately about Cho made her start to worry about a lot of things. As if the kiss wasn't enough, it only complicated matters that she enjoyed it greatly. She loved it, and as if that wasn't enough, she wanted more. Did that mean…she liked just the feeling of being with someone…or Cho?

"Hey Hermione."

Her heart leapt into her throat as Harry came walking up behind her. He sat down on the couch beside her and looked at her.

"What's wrong?"

She looked at him astonished. Shaking her head, she avoided eye contact, "What… what are you talking about? Nothing is wrong, don't worry."

She cringed slightly at that last sentence. It was the same thing that Cho always told her when something was wrong, but she didn't want to tell her about it. Harry didn't buy it one bit. He leaned in a bit closer, still talking with a serious tone.

"Something most definitely is up. Otherwise you wouldn't have red circles around your eyes." She gasped.

Red circles? She had been crying this whole time and she hadn't even realized it. Chuckling sadly she stared into the fireplace.

"Okay…you caught me. Something… might be wrong. Just a little thing, I'm not sure yet…" she paused silently. A risky scheme was developing in her mind that might help her clear up some confusion, but it also could send the wrong message. Deciding to chance it, she looked at Harry.

"Um… Harry… I was wondering if… maybe…you know, since you are one of my friends that if I could… do something real quick."

He stared at her, his face growing more and more red by the second as she advanced upon him. Leaning back into the support of the couch, he nodded his head hesitantly, waiting for what she was planning.

At the beginning when she first came to Hogwarts and met Harry, Hermione thought that she had met the perfect friend, and the greatest guy besides Ron. He did seem to have a knack for trouble, but he was always loyal and friendly; she thought she had a crush on him.

So what she was doing now, she would have thought impossible back then. Leaning in and closing her eyes, she brushed her lips upon his. He jumped in shock, but he succumbed to the feeling and closed his eyes as well, even going as far as wrapping his arms loosely around her back.

Shutting her eyes tighter, she tried to bring back that feel of excitement and euphoria that she felt with Cho, however, it did not ever come. That sweeping feel of bliss and elation never came. The whole thing just felt… dull, even empty.

This isn't right!

She pushed away fiercely and staggered backwards, shaking her head vehemently. "No! This… it's… I'm sorry, but I don't like you Harry. I was just trying to figure out something for myself. And it's just… not right. At least with you anyways."

Turning around, her cloak swirled behind her as she made a mad, and embarrassed, dash to the girl's dormitory.

Harry sat there on the couch unfazed. He never said he had liked her, but it seemed like she had that impression or something.

"Wow mate, seems like you got lucky tonight, eh?"

Harry cocked his head and looked at Ron, who had just walked into the common room, and did not laugh, nor did he even smile.

"I don't like her, and she doesn't like me. That was just… well, I'm not sure. She wanted to know something, so I just said go ahead. It's not like there was anything deeper to it."

Ron just smiled and took a seat near Harry, pulling out a chessboard. "Want to play a round of chess?"

Meanwhile, lay in her bed crying into her pillow, muffled sobs emitting from her choked throat. The other girls who were in there already had attempted to console her, but she didn't respond to any of their pep talks or questions.

Something was sorely wrong with the kiss with Harry. She previously had a crush on him years ago, so she thought it would have resurfaced maybe just a little bit, but nothing happened. It felt so lifeless, and just… plain. Nothing ecstatic or wonderful about it; just a neutral experience.

It differed so much from the lively and vibrant kiss she shared with Cho, the electric feeling of their bodies so close as they shared more than just their friendship. It had…well, feeling to it. She wanted to just stare into those obscure black-blue eyes forever, and she craved more. She didn't just desire it, she needed it.

Nothing was wrong now because she figured out what she didn't know, and that was her feelings.


	6. Chapter 6

Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 6

A week had elapsed since the last incident in the library. Hermione and Cho once again put space between each other, not coming within close proximity of each other. It seemed as if Cho was feeling guilty of what had happened, because she avoided all eye contact, and even when Harry would say hi to her, she wouldn't even acknowledge Hermione's existence.

The only time they really endured each other's presence was when they had the same defense against the dark arts class, and even then they would not talk or even make eye contact.

It almost seemed better that they kept their distance, because with the O.W.L. exams coming up next week, Hermione needed all the study time she could get. Spending almost all her possible extra time in the library, she studied for hours on end, not eating or even thinking about Cho.

Professor Umbridge was getting more on everybody's nerves as the exams came closer. The class still had not performed any of the magic that they had been taught, and they were still only reading the text in the enormous books that they were issued.

"The exams are next week and you sadly bunch of students do not seem ready enough! Do you realize how bad the marks were for our last test? With the exception of a few miss-know-it-alls…" she glanced at Hermione and then swept her gaze over onto Cho "…I believe most people had gotten near-failing scores on those tests."

Harry snorted and whispered to Ron, "Yeah, well, I guess she didn't want to remember how well I scored on that test. How'd you make out?"

Ron's freckled face twisted, "Are you kidding? I did horrible! I was so confidant that I could have sworn that I aced that test, but noooo, I get a dreadful score. What rubbish, I swear."

They chortled quietly to themselves as Professor Umbridge stopped talking. She turned her head around slowly as if a crank and gears were rotating it.

"Who is making noise in my classroom? I will have none of that kind of nonsense around here!" She spotted Harry still trying to hold in laughter and she sneered at him.

"So, Potter," she spat out, "you find something in this class amusing? I'd like to hear what you'd like to say, so please, share with us your fascinating piece of information, not that anything you say is credible nowadays."

Draco and a few other Slytherins snickered as Harry glared back at Umbridge. They were all still believing the lies that the Ministry was pumping into the Daily Prophet. It was old news, but with Harry making outbursts earlier in the year about Voldemort returning, Umbridge had always carried some sort of a grudge against him.

He didn't stand up, but instead just kept staring at her. "Well, you forgot to mention my score. It wasn't perfect marks, but it didn't fail. It was a fairly decent, even passing grade, so why didn't you mention me? Well, that is, unless your word isn't credible either, and you just made that up. Maybe the whole class passed, and you're just mad because we're not failing."

Smirking triumphantly at Professor Umbridge's appalled face, his smug smile soon turned down as she grinded her teeth at him. Her features turned even more like a frog as her lips stretched widely into a malicious grin and her eyes slit downward into a menacing gaze.

"So… we have a funny guy, a real crack up, eh? You think you're real smart and witty, don't you, Potter. Well, you'll just get to take your exams soon, and see me for detention when you're all done…all week. That's right, you'll have a weeks detention from me boy."

She wagged her finger back and forth as his face slumped into his hands as if he didn't care anymore. He sighed hopelessly, "Bah, I should have seen this coming. Not that it matters anymore, I've been given so many, it doesn't even matter anymore."

"Um, Professor, doesn't that seem a bit harsh? Your punishment that is. I understand that the remark might have been rude, but you honestly don't think that it deserves a week's worth of detentions with you."

Everyone stared as Cho spoke cautiously, unsure if she was going to get punishment as well. Umbridge looked at her curiously. "Well well, if it isn't one of the miss-know-it-alls that I spoke of earlier. Craving attention as well like Potter here? Well just keep your own ridiculous gibberish to yourself, nobody wants to hear anything from a stuck-up girl who thinks the world revolves around her, now do they?"

Hermione scowled at this comment. She knew Cho, and that wasn't how she was. Perhaps she gave off that air at times, but that was not her true personality.

Cho shut her mouth silently, not wishing to talk back, and unable to come up with a witty retort.

Professor Umbridge turned back around as she smiled and began writing on the blackboard again. The class fell silent, but the quiet stiff atmosphere was disturbed by a sudden buzzing noise.

A scream ripped through the air as Professor Umbridge began swatting at her head. Furiously swiping at her hair, she did a sort of jig as she ran around in quick circles, attempting to get the 'bow' off her head.

The black velvet bow that usually adorned the top of her hair had been turned into a rather large and grotesque fly with five wings and a dripping nose. Seven hairy legs sprouted off in different directions and its multiple wings beating made the buzzing noise even louder.

"Get it off, get it off, GET IT OFF!" She kept attacking her own head as everybody erupted into hysterical laughter. Apparently, even though she could be cold as stone, Umbridge didn't like flies that much.

She grabbed her wand, aimed it at her head, and shut her eyes tight as she transfigured it back into the familiar black, velvet bow.

Still laughing, the class suddenly stared in horror as Professor Umbridge stomped her way around her desk and to the very front of the room. Her eyes practically blazing, she clenched the bow with her fists, the knuckles turning slowly white and pale.

"WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS!" Utterly ashamed from the horrible incident, she wished to punish the person responsible. A week of extended time detentions seemed like enough for her.

After her loud, demanding question, she was met with a wave of silence as nobody wished to speak or fess up to the deed.

Darting her eyes back and forth like a hawk searching for prey, she searched the faces of every student, trying to find the guilty eyes.

Her gaze fell upon Hermione's.

Everybody seemed to notice whom Umbridge was staring at, and even Hermione started to sweat a little under the pressure. She gulped, as Umbridge was about to speak, until an almost inaudible, muffled chuckle rang throughout the room.

All pairs of eyes turned to Cho, who had stopped as soon as Professor Umbridge strode over to her desk quickly. She slammed her fist on her desk and pointed an accusing finger at her.

"You! You are the one who did this! But with no spoken incantation, you must think you're real advanced, real smart, don't you? Of course, you're a very smart girl. Oh, that might explain why you're taking this class over again, right?" she stared coldly at the girl.

Returning the stone cold gaze with an empty one, Cho replied, "I'm only taking this class again because I wanted to refresh my basics in defense against the dark arts. I'm taking my N.E.W.T. for this, but I haven't learned anything. Sadly, this was a waste of time! I should have just asked for private lessons elsewhere with a more capable teacher. Oh and, yes, I might have possibly transfigured something of yours into something else, but I my vision seems kind of blurry. What did you say happened?"

"YOU INSOLENT LITTLE GIRL!" shouted Professor Umbridge as she swung her fist around, but turned it quickly into a pointing finger, "You! I want a week's detention from you! And it won't be just the average amount either. You will stay for extra hours! STARTING TODAY!"

Cho stared at her with her clouded eyes still smiling as Professor Umbridge stomped back to her desk. Still fuming, she slammed a large book onto her special professor's desk and spat out, "Back to reading, NOW! There is no need for talking!"

Hermione looked at Cho in astonishment as everybody shoved their faces back into their books, afraid of what Umbridge might do next.

"YOU TOO GRANGER!"

She stared hard back into the book that she had already read over twice. It didn't make sense. Why did Cho…

A large bell rang out through the school grounds signaling the end of the class, and so the students put away their belongings and filed out of the classroom as quickly as possible. Hermione could have sworn that Umbridge was beat red with contained anger as she exited quietly.

She met up with Harry and Ron as the trio walked through the halls to their Gryffindor common room.

Ron laughed, "Can you believe that Cho really transfigured miss ugly's hair bow? That was bloody awesome! I nearly split my sides with laughter." Harry nodded in agreement and smiled, "It did seem unbelievable. I didn't even know she knew how to cast spells without actually saying the words. That's incredibly hard."

Hermione frowned, "When do you think her detention will end? I mean, it can't last for hours and hours after class is over, can it?"

Harry looked at her, "Well, that's how mine was, and if Umbridge said 'extra hours' that probably means, well, extra hours." She shook her head and muttered something to herself.

The day passed on and the sun sunk into the horizon. Night descended upon the Hogwarts as everyone gathered in the Great Hall for some food. Noisy platters and dishes clattered on the tables as people conversed and ate, and sometimes both at the same time resulting in the spouting of food particles. Like Ron for example.

"Hoi H'mione, wortf's wrong? Yuf scnem dsistr'actd." He said through a mouthful of bread as crumbs flew out his mouth.

She didn't answer his question, too preoccupied with the absence of Cho from the Ravenclaw tables. After seeing Harry's hand from all of the detentions he received, Hermione knew all about the unique punishment that Umbridge would force upon the students.

"Hermione, are you there?" a hand waved in front of her face, snapping her out of her thoughts. Ron had swallowed his food and was now talking properly without flying crumbs.

She looked at him and smiled briefly. "I guess I'm not that hungry right now. Too many things. I think I'm…going to go study for all of my upcoming exams now. I'll catch you guys later."

Both Harry and Ron stopped momentarily as Hermione stood up slowly but quickly darted out of the Great Hall. They exchanged worried glances, but carried on eating as desserts appeared before them. Ron stuck his spoon into a wobbly bowl of pudding as Harry rested his fork and reached for his spoon.

"I think something is wrong," he said flatly.

Ron continued eating his pudding, not looking at Harry directly, "Well, hwateever gave youf thatbl idea?" he mumbled as pudding went in, but also came out.

Harry stared at him, half disgusted and half jokingly, "Err… would please talk after you're done eating something? I don't like to see stuff go in and then get regurgitated. A tad bit creepy you know." Ron frowned and reached for a custard pie.

Meanwhile, Hermione had walked towards the library and took a seat anxiously at a vacant table inside of it. She drummed her fingers on the desk as she kept looking at the clock ticking away on the wall. Finally, she stood up and walked towards a large bookshelf with an assortment of different books on its racks.

She pulled out multiple books and balanced them carefully in her arms. Delicately, she started to slowly walk back towards her table, but let out a squeak as the books started to sway and shift.

The top book that held information and a brief history on potions slipped off, and soon a few other books followed it. With a loud thump, half the books tumbled down and hit the floor. Thankfully, Madam Pince wasn't around anywhere.

"Oh bother…" Setting the other half of books down on a nearby table, Hermione hunched over and began picking up the books.

"One of these days, all this studying will kill you, you know."

Her heart nearly leapt out of her chest out of surprise and relief. Cho helped pick up the books as the two girls walked over to the empty desk. They both took seats across from each other and fell silent.

Hermione coughed and picked out a book and flipped to a random page as a distraction from the silence. "So…um…how are you doing?"

It was a very lame question; she knew it, and so did Cho. It did make for friendly conversation however, since they hadn't talked in nearly a week since the last time they met up, which ironically was in the very same library.

Cho frowned slightly, "Well, that detention with Professor Umbridge was perhaps one of the most debilitating thing I have ever gone through." She looked up at Hermione and realized that the girl had already gotten out of her chair and had already walked around to examine her hands.

"Strange…your hands aren't marked up. I thought Professor Umbridge punished students by using that horrible quill, but your hands are still smooth and unharmed." She felt both of Cho's hands and pulled away quickly, blushing while she did so. "Err… sorry about that."

Taking in a deep breath, Cho stood up and looked at her. "Well, my hands aren't hurting, but my arm is. I can't really see what's wrong with it though, it just… burns. It's tingly and stuff, almost a prickly feeling. It's pretty inflamed as well. All I see is that my skin looks reddish for some reason."

Hermione reached for Cho's sleeves on her robes and rolled them back up to her shoulders and her eyes widened. All along her right arm, the words 'I will not disobey or humiliate teachers ever again' were inscribed all up her skin. It wasn't completely bleeding, but blood was still slowly surfacing through the cuts. The sentence was probably too long to fit on her hand, so Professor Umbridge must have found a unique fix to the problem.

She let the robes fall back down her arm. "The quill you used to write that sentence on paper, it somehow also writes onto your arm. It usually is just written on the hand, but I guess Professor Umbridge was really, really mad, and…" she paused, "…why did you do it? You… you knew it was really me who transfigured her bow, right?"

Cho looked at her and her face broke into a smile, "Of course, who else could perform a transfiguration spell and not have to speak it? You're the smartest person I know, and I think you're probably the only one in that class who could do it. Like I said, you should have been Ravenclaw."

They both laughed and walked out of the library with the books deserted and still left on the table.

Strolling through the hallways, they enjoyed the other's company and walked on in silence. After a week of staying away from each other, it felt good for both of them to finally be talking again.

"So… how is your vision coming along…?" Hermione asked softly. Cho grinned, "Well, my hearing and sense of smell is starting to get a bit better I think. However, the surroundings are starting to get darker and darker. Sooner or later, it'll all be gone."

She came to a stop and turned her head slightly and looked at Hermione.

"Um…is something wrong Cho?" The blue-black eyes continued to stare at her for a few moments before they tore away and she began walking again. She smiled and shook her head, "No, nothing's wrong, don't worry."

They continued on like that, chatting for a few minutes and then silence, talking a bit, and then more silence. Hermione would steal a few glances at Cho when she wasn't looking at her.

The way her hair slid off her shoulder and glided behind her serenely made it look like black silk strings trailing behind her. The way she smiled at a funny memory or a joke made her insides melt with the warmth that radiated from it. As they passed tall windows, the moonlight shone down on her whole figure, making her look elegant.

"She's really cute…"

They both stopped suddenly. Hermione's chest constricted as if a basilisk were wrapped around her and squeezing away her life. The only string of thought that was processing through her head was _ stupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupidstupid. _ Even Cho seemed to be a bit tense as she looked at her uncertainly, an eyebrow arched.

"What did you say?"

"Err…he's a newt?" replied Hermione lamely. Cho looked at her and then broke out into a genuine laugh.

"Nice try but…I guess I'll buy it for today. It's getting late, I think I'm going to start heading back to my dormitory. I'll talk to you later."

They faced each other awkwardly, as if expecting something to happen. Cho took a step forward and placed a quick peck on her cheek before running off in the direction of Ravenclaw Tower.


	7. Chapter 7

Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 7

Their friendship was a mystery. Like most friends would do, Cho and Hermione would talk with each other, and sometimes even gossip about the latest rumors they had heard around school and in the girl's bathroom. They'd study together in the library and when it came time for the O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. testing, they both freaked out together. However, if they had a nighttime study session when nobody was around, Cho would end their meeting with a small, chaste kiss on the cheek.

Even still, it was hard for Hermione to figure out if there was something going on between them. Sure there had been the two kisses on the lips, and the occasional parting pecks on the cheek, but they hadn't really discussed their relationship any further. She wasn't even sure if Cho even liked her in that way, though she had come to the conclusion that there was something deeper there than just friendship.

It never really came into question until one Friday night.

"Hermione!" Cho caught up to the brown-haired girl walking in the hallway accompanied by Harry and Ron. She gave Ron a hug.

Harry laughed as Ron's face exploded into red, "Uh, Cho, I think you got the wrong person." Ron chuckled nervously, "Well, erm, I don't mind." Hermione elbowed him rather sharply in the side.

Cho jumped back and smiled sheepishly, "Well, can I speak with you Hermione?" She nodded, and grabbed Cho's hand, guiding her to a nearby hallway close to the boy's and girl's bathrooms, which was fairly deserted at the moment.

"Something you need?" asked Hermione as Cho gave her a hug. "Haha, sorry, that's for missing you earlier and getting the Weasley guy. What's his name, Ron? Oh, well, I wanted to see what you were doing later today, and please don't say studying because O.W.L. exams were a few days ago, so you don't have an excuse."

Hermione smiled widely, "Well, now that you mention it, I haven't gotten out in quite a while, and too much studying makes me a cranky person."

Laughing at that comment, Cho couldn't help but smirk, "Since when did you ever get cranky about studying? Last I remember, nothing could get you away from a good textbook."

"Studying, no matter how much it takes up my life and how it practically consumes most of my waking hours, does not equal a social life. I need to get out! So…what did you have in mind?"

Cho looked at her with a mysterious grin, "Well, like normal, just eat dinner here at the Great Hall, but we can sit together. And maybe… after that, I can take you somewhere special."

Hermione took a step closer and looked up at Cho, who had turned a slight shade of pink and started to stutter at that point, "Wait…are you asking me on a date, Cho?" she asked with a flirtatious undertone.

"Err… um… you know…kind of…sort of…maybe…well, it's because uh…I really like…you…and … stuff…and maybe…" she trailed off, mumbling almost too silently to be heard.

Just to torture the poor girl, Hermione looked at her with a wicked but jokingly smile, and a twinkle in her eyes, "What was that last part Cho…? You know, I couldn't hear you, a dreadful draft wafted by my ears… could you repeat that?"

Cho blushed and stared at the ground, "I…really…like…y-"

Her words were cut short as Draco Malfoy ran right into her. "Watch where you are walking Chang! You'll mess up my hair."

Hermione shot him a death glare, "She wasn't walking Malfoy, she was standing. It's you who should watch where you're going." He looked at her with his eyebrow arched, a smug look was plastered on his face.

"Well, well, if it isn't Miss Granger, the Muggle-born, or…should I say the other word? The one that seems to hurt so much more, you Mudbl-" seething with anger, Hermione raised her fist in an attempt to threaten Draco, but as her fist raised up, Cho's had already smashed into his face.

She stared into his surprised eyes with a menacing look, "Go away Malfoy."

He looked at her for a few more moments rubbing his cheek, and then frowned, "Why you… just look at what you did to my face! And now my hair has been messed up as well, I hope you're happy. It took me mere hours to fix this up, not a strand out of place. Lots of gel as well, but I don't suppose you know the pain of fixing hair with gel. You'll regret that."

He walked away leaving both girls laughing uncontrollably. Hermione looked at Cho while trying to suppress the rising giggles, "Haha, you know, if it wasn't for his foul attitude and personality, he could actually be funny. His obsession with his hair is very interesting indeed."

Cho nodded in agreement, her black hair swaying behind her, "So, you can come tonight, right?" Hermione bobbed her head up and down.

"Great, then I'll see you around the Great Hall tonight. See you around." Cho began walking away until Hermione jogged up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait." She placed a small kiss on her cheek, the thing that Cho occasionally did after they would study together. With that, she smiled and let her go. "I'll see you tonight."

They both walked away with their hearts filled to the brim with happiness. Hermione exploded with bliss and broke down into laughter and tears, all at the same time. "I can't believe it…she does like me."

She returned to the Gryffindor common room, still on the verge of another laughing fit. It was almost impossible to contain her happiness. Ron and Harry came up to her, a bit confused by her unusually cheerful state, and the fact that she had failed to suppress the giggles inside.

Ron looked at her funny, "Um… is there something wrong Hermione? You don't look too well. I mean, you look…flippin' crazy happy or something."

She looked at him and laughed even more, "Don't get your knickers in a knot Harry! I'm just fine!"

Harry looked at her, "Um…Hermione, I hope you know that's Ron you're talking to…"

Grabbing Harry's shoulders suddenly and shaking him, her face broke out into the brightest smile ever, "You know what! I don't care!" and with that, she bounded off to the girls' room as fast as she could leaving the utterly confused pair…well, even more confused.

They stared at the spot where she had stood a second ago, completely dumbfounded. His mouth agape, Ron turned to face Harry, "I think she's lost her mind! And what in blazes are knickers?"

Harry didn't even laugh at his comments, "Uh, knickers are the least of your worries Ron. But I do have to agree with you, I think she's lost it."

Hermione sat in her bed laughing uncontrollably while waiting for dinner. Gasping for air, she tried to settle down. "This is ridiculous! I'm getting so excited, maybe even too excited."

Ginny walked into the dormitory and spotted Hermione. "Hey, I haven't talked to you in a while. What's up? You seem…excited to say the least."

Her bushy hair swished around her face as she nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, I'm very…ecstatic! I'm going to have fun!"

The young Weasley looked at her skeptically, "Ooookay… go have fun. I have fun a lot too, I'm happy that you're deciding to have some break time from studying. May I ask, what fun you are going to have?"

"Certainly!" said Hermione as she smiled widely.

"…What fun are you going to have?" asked Ginny after a long pause of silence.

"I don't know, it's a secret!"

"GAH!" Ginny threw up her hands in frustration as she sighed and stood up. She cast Hermione a sly smile, "I bet it has something to do with a relationship. You always get flustered with love."

"But I don't love her yet!" she exclaimed, suddenly shutting her mouth as she realized what she had blurted out so unwisely.

At that outburst, Ginny turned her whole body to face Hermione, "What…what did you say? Repeat what you just said!" Scraping her mind for something, she came up with the worst cover-up ever.

"Um… I won't shove the bet?"

Ginny's jaw dropped at the unbelievably absurd sentence. "How can you possibly shove a bet…? Oh bother, never mind. See ya 'round Hermione. And please, straighten out your sentences, they don't seem to make sense, and you not making sense frightens me. Bye!" she waved and walked out of the dormitory after picking up a few quills and some assorted ink colors.

As Hermione watched her leave, she let out a deep breath of air, "Oh, what a relief. How stupid to let that slip," she snorted, "what a ludicrous comeback too. Heh, I won't shove the bet. Worst thing I've ever heard in my life."

After what seemed like an eternity, dinnertime finally arrived. Hermione ran over to the Great Hall with anticipation and scanned the extensive room for a glimpse of some familiar black hair.

She spotted Cho leaning against the wall in a corner in the far right side of the room holding a straw basket. Walking up to her, she put a friendly hand on her arm to show that she was in front of her.

"Hey Hermione. I kind of had an idea. Change of plans kind of. I already filled this basket full of some food and I was planning on taking us somewhere else. I hope you don't mind…"

Hermione grabbed her hand, "No I don't mind, where do you want to go?" Smiling, Cho started walking to her right. "Guide me to the Quidditch pitch please."

"Pardon me for asking, but can't you still see…?" Hermione stood there studying her features. Cho squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled, "Well, yes, but I'd rather you guide me." Getting the hint, Hermione chuckled, "You're a devious one."

They walked hand in hand to the Quidditch area. It was almost dark outside, the sun just barely peeking out above the horizon painting the sky a collage of hot reds and oranges. Reaching a bench, Cho kneeled down and felt for her Comet Two-Sixty. Mounting the broom, she looked at the basket that she had set down on the bench.

"_Locomotor basket_." The straw bag lifted up and hovered behind them, the lid securely fastened. "Hop on Hermoine," she said, "and I promise I won't crash us into the ground." Without hesitation, Hermione jumped on the broom and wrapped her arms around Cho's waist.

"Take me away."

The broom lifted them both up and into the crimson sky. Speeding off into the open sky, the pair flew gracefully through the air with the basket following them not too far behind. Hermione enjoyed moments like these, when they were just alone. Her head rested firmly on Cho's back, and she just listened to her heartbeat. She felt at peace, sitting on the broom just like back when they were practicing for the tryouts, which seemed so long ago.

Then they came to a gentle stop. "Um, Cho, is something wrong? We're still flying…" she looked downward and judged that they must have been about two-hundred feet off the ground. The only thing in between them and imminent death, was a harmless cloud.

Suddenly, Cho swung her leg around and hopped off the broom. Hermione screamed as she saw Cho sink into the cloud, but then she held her breath as she witnessed an atmospheric impossibility.

Offering her hand, Cho stood confidently on the cloud and laughed, "Don't worry, it's generally solid, despite being a cloud. I found out about this back when I was playing Seeker for Ravenclaw. The golden snitch was right in front of me, and then I crashed in mid-air. At the time, I was confused, but I realized that this cloud defies…well, the definition of a cloud. It had solidified, and it was always here too, just, nobody had ever crashed into it before."

Looking at the 'ground' hesitantly, she grabbed Cho's outstretched hand and stood on the cloud. Almost expecting the material to collapse under her feet, she grabbed hold of Cho completely and closed her eyes tightly.

"Did I die?"

Cho laughed and summoned the basket over to them. "Come on, let's eat. I brought some stuff from the Great Hall while nobody was looking and shoved them in here. Haha, and we have the best view in the whole school."

They sat down on the feathery soft substance and fished around in the basket for something to eat. Surprisingly, Cho had grabbed quite an array of food. There was roast beef, roast potatoes, peppermint humbugs, and some Cornish pasties. A few thermoses contained some butterbeer, tea, and hot chocolate.

Eating in content silence, they stared as the sun sank deeply and melted into the horizon. It was a breathtaking view from up on top of the cloud, and Hermione had suddenly wished she had brought some sort of a camera.

After they finished the main course foods, and downed a bit of hot chocolate and tea, Cho reached into the basket and pulled out two chocolate gateau cakes. Handing one to Hermione, they began eating the silky dessert.

"This is…wonderful," said Hermione in between bites of the cake. Turning her head, Cho smiled, "What, the cake or being up here with me?"

Turning to face her, she smiled, "Both, though the former tastes delicious."

Looking mock-hurt, Cho put her hand on her chest and gave Hermione a very dramatic look. "And you're saying I'm not delicious, just this cake? Ah, those words cut deep." And they both laughed.

Cho looked at her one last time and with the sun casting a golden glow on her face, she looked divine and heavenly. Her hand slowly found Hermione's and she inched closer to her, their hips touching as they stared into the sunset.

"You know Hermione, at first…I didn't know how I felt about you. I originally thought that you were just an incredibly smart person, but that's all I thought. Now… my feelings have changed."

Hermione leaned her head on Cho's shoulder as she listened to her talk.

"At first I was confused… you remember… the time in the garden…"she chuckled, "I had liked Cedric, but then I started feeling those same emotions with you and it kind of… frightened me a bit. After that, I kept having mixed feelings. I liked you…a lot…but I guess I was trying to deny it to myself. That time in the library, I just had to release my feelings, but I was still in denial…yet…"

She tilted her head to look at Hermione, "Yet…now I know. I really do like you… a lot. I care for you just as much…no…probably more than I did Cedric…"

With just an inch separating their lips, she closed the gap and kissed Hermione sweetly with no regrets or doubts behind it.

They pulled back, both faces red from blushing and the sunset. Hermione nuzzled Cho's neck affectionately and smiled, "This is perfect and there's nothing wrong, so we don't need to worry."


	8. Chapter 8

Trials and Tribulations

Chapter 8

Ever since they had agreed to see each other in secret, Hermione had felt tremendously happy inside. Her whole spirit lifted, and even everybody around her was affected by her infectious cheerful smile.

She'd say hi to everyone who passed her, and would flash smiles around so much that Cho would give her a jealous nudge in the side. They would giggle, and continue walking. The Ravenclaw girl had started to hang out more and more with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, for obvious reasons. Ron wasn't exactly jumping for joy about it, not like Harry who had thought that it was a miracle sent from the heavens or something.

The pair was now rarely ever seen without each other, and a lot of other students now found it very normal. Sometimes they would make comments like "Oh Hermione, where's Cho? I was looking for her" and "Oh Cho, where's your twin?"

The four of them now enjoyed many group activities together such as exploding snap and magical chess, even though Ron would always win.

Whenever they had time though, Hermione and Cho would agree on a time and day, and then they'd meet in the room of requirement sometime during the night. It was the only place that they were sure they'd had some peace and quiet, and especially alone time together without disturbance.

Sure, some of the other Ravenclaw students had questioned why a girl like Cho would start hanging out with a Gryffindor like Hermione, but neither of them really cared what the other people thought of their 'friendship'. As long as they didn't know the deeper meaning behind it, everything was kept quiet.

It was almost the end of the school year with only a few days standing between them, and complete freedom from homework.

Yet the group was in the library studying for a last minute test that Professor McGonagall had decided to give them.

"Aw, this should be a crime! Popping a quiz on us for the last day of school, a crime I tell you!" exclaimed Ron as he stared into his transfiguration book blankly.

Hermione cast him a sideways glance, "Well you know Ron, there are such things as pop quizzes. And it is not a crime! Besides, transfiguring isn't bad. In fact, it is one of my more favorite classes I'll have you know."

"Anything that involves a book is your favorite subject…" he mumbled dismally. Cho chortled but attempted to cover it as a snorting cough of some sort.

"You're lucky Cho," said Harry, "you don't have a test for your class. You already took your final test before all of us a while ago. Meh, like I said, lucky."

She smiled, "Well, it wasn't an easy one mind you. Professor McGonagall can be quite unforgiving on her exams." They all laughed.

Hermione closed her book and got up, "Since Cho is not actually studying for anything, I think we're going to go have a talk for a second. I can study up on this test later on in the dormitory."

She grabbed Cho's hand and led her behind a bookshelf in a more secluded area. Looking around to make sure nobody was within earshot, she looked at Cho.

"I was wondering, do you have any plans this break?"

Smiling, she shook her head, sleek locks of black hair fluttered around her face, "No, I was just going to go home to my parents. However, if you have something else in mind, I would happily do something with you."

"That's good to hear. Would you like to come home with me this summer? It'll be much more fun than sitting around in your room all day and stuff. We can go out and do exciting things! You can give your parents an owl that you'll come home with me, alright?"

Cho nodded, and waited by the door for Hermione whom had gone back to the table to pick up her belongings. With her books in one arm, and Cho's arm in another, she guided her through the hallways to the owlery.

Hermione took out a piece of parchment and let Cho write it, and then she fastened it to the leg of her owl.

Watching the owl ascend and then swoop out of the sky windows, she sighed, "I'm actually looking forward to summer now."

The pop quiz turned out to be nothing but a hoax. Professor McGonagall did that only to scare the students into studying when all that happened when they walked into the classroom was a gigantic party. She normally would be against parties of any kind, but she felt that they deserved it after their stressful year.

She did warn them however, that next year's transfiguration classes would be much more challenging, and that they really should study more.

It was the last day of school, and the Great Hall was filled with red and gold silk tapestries with the Gryffindor coat of arms largest in the middle. Everybody was anticipating their leave, not even caring that the House Cup had been won by the Gryffindors for about the third or fourth time running.

The empty golden platters suddenly were empty no longer as food fresh from the kitchens appeared on them. Everyone dug into their last feast of the year while Dumbledore clapped his hands to draw their attention.

"I understand that you are tucking into a most dazzling feast, but I must congratulate the Gryffindors for yet another impressive year. They have won the House Cup, and so we have these colors to decorate in their honor. However I have one thing of importance to say."

Not many people were actually paying him much attention, except Hermione of course. However, when he mentioned that it was important, a few more heads turned, because Dumbledore's words were almost always of great significance.

"There have been a few disappearances lately, not that you young people should worry much about, but I believe it is within your best safety not to do anything rash," as he said that he looked at Harry with a smile, "but I also wish for everyone to be safe. Suspicious activity should not have to spoil such a grand summer for you guys. Eat plenty, and stay safe!"

And with that, everyone dug into the newly baked pies and other desserts that had appeared before them after most of the main course meals were eaten. The feast finally ended, and with full stomachs, the students began to walk out of the school grounds and towards the Hogwarts express.

For once in her life, Hermione wasn't concerned about studying. As the four of them, Ron, Harry, Cho, and Hermione, boarded the train, they actually were excited to be leaving Hogwarts.

Ron's family was going to Romania to visit Charlie and his dragons. They were to be given free passage by airplanes, which utterly fascinated Mr. Weasley.

"I must figure out how they can stay up in air! It is still a wondrous mystery that has yet to be discovered…" he had said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harry had been invited to go with them, but he actually was going to stay with Sirius in his large, yet creepy, Black manor. No Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia could force him to go back to Privet Drive that summer.

And Hermione…well, she could barely contain her excitement! Cho was coming to over to her house so they could spend some time together. She already had something extraordinary planned for her.

They all took a seat in an empty compartment and the ride turned out to be uneventful. Harry and Ron exchanged cards that they had got from the chocolate frogs package. Cho decided to chance an every flavor bean and popped a red one in her mouth; it turned out to be blood flavored. Draco didn't even bother disturbing them this time, and it surprised them all. It was as if he were too preoccupied with something else to come and annoy them.

Finally arriving at the station, all four of them walked out of the train and walked through platform 9 3/4. They waved goodbye to each other, and went their separate ways as a black dog, the Weasley family, and Hermione's father arrived.

"So, is this your witch friend that we've heard so much about? Hi!" he stuck out his hand to shake hers, "I'm Hermione's dad, it's nice to meet you. Well, lets get to the car and go home."

After shaking his hand, Cho grasped Hermione's hand and they started walking down a sidewalk towards a nearby parking area. The parking lot came closer, but Mr. Granger seemed to be fidgeting as if something were nagging at the back of his mind. He kept shooting glances at them, and Hermione realized he must be looking at them holding hands.

She coughed, "Um, dad, Cho is blind, so I need to help her around places." He sighed and they continued walking on.

Cho giggled and then whispered into her ear so that he couldn't hear, "Is your dad strict? Oh and…what's a car?"

It was Hermione's turn to laugh. Cho was a pureblood witch, so she didn't know of cars and modern Muggle transportation objects.

"My dad is just cautious about everything I do, but you get used to it after a while. Oh, and a car is something that Muggles use as transportation to get from one place to another. They use wheels and they can't fly."

They finally arrived at a black BMW that was parked off in a secluded corner, away from possible harm from other careless drivers. Hermione opened the door for her and they sat in the back seats as her dad took to the wheel. Cho sat down and let out a little gasp as the car lurched forward and started moving.

"Wow!"

Mr. Granger looked in the rearview mirror and smiled at Cho's curiosity and Hermione just laughed. "It takes longer than apparating, but it's a lot more fun," said Cho. After about fifteen minutes, they finally arrived home.

Hermione took her hand and led her inside. Mrs. Granger walked up and greeted the pair warmly. "Oh, you must be Cho Chang, the person Hermione is always talking about in her owls home. You're just the cutest thing I've ever seen, and such perfect teeth! That's a wonderful smile…"

Blushing, Cho just smiled back and thanked her. Hermione just led her upstairs to her room, obviously embarrassed by her mom's comments. She closed the door shaking her head, and locked it.

She dropped onto her bed, "Sorry about that. My parents are dentists, so they're obsessed with all things related to teeth." She noticed Cho's baffled look.

"Dentists, are people in the Muggle world who clean teeth and take care of them, such as pulling them out, and also filling them."

Cho cringed at hearing the pulling out part, but she smiled, "Well, they think I have nice teeth." And they both laughed. She sat down on the bed and breathed in deeply. The smell itself reminded her of Hermione, and with the sounds of birds chirping out the window as the sun started to descend, she felt calm in this little room.

It wasn't exactly small, but it was cozy. The carpet was a plush dark brown and the walls were off-white. An oak dresser was the only piece of furniture in the room besides three bookcases filled to the brim with textbooks and other leisure readings. A small bed was pushed against the wall, and a mattress was brought in for Cho to sleep on.

They laid down on the bed, and after a while, they drifted off into a light slumber. It felt good to finally relax after that whole time in Hogwarts doing nothing but homework and exams.

All that was on Hermione's mind however, was the one big event that she had planned before she invited Cho. It was to be kind of like a date, and tomorrow, she'd take her shopping for more fancy clothes to wear.

Hermione was the first to wake up as the sun pierced through her windows unmercifully blinding her. She had a sore neck due to the angle at which she fell asleep in, but she didn't mind; Cho was with her.

She stared at the dark-haired beauty and marveled at how she could still look nearly perfect after all that she had gone through. Smooth skin, velvety hair, what more could someone want? She was the object of every guy's affection, and yet here she was with Hermione. It felt almost surreal, until Cho began to stir and opened her eyes.

"Is it morning already?" she asked groggily as she wiped her eyes, still obviously sleepy.

Hermione laughed and stroked her hair, "C'mon, I know you're tired, but you don't need any more beauty sleep. Besides, you'd end up as irresistible as a veela."

They dragged their unwilling bodies out of the comfort of the bed and got dressed in proper Muggle attire.

"I'm going to get you some proper dress clothes. I have something special planned later on for the summer, and you'll need dressier clothes than what you brought."

And so they went downstairs, said good morning and goodbye to her parents, and walked out the door. There was a fancy clothing store not too far from where she lived, and so the walk itself only took about ten minutes.

They arrived at a small but quaint outlet that had all sorts of dressy gowns and other kinds of clothing for special occasions.

"Hi, may I help you ladies find something?" asked one of the store's attendants. Hermione shook her head, "No thank you, we're just looking around." And so Cho wandered off to find some place to sit as Hermione picked out several dresses for her to try on.

"I think all of these will look nice on you, but you have to decide which feels the most comfortable," she said as she guided Cho to a nearby dressing room with cream-painted wooden doors.

Taking her seat on the suede couch and waited patiently as Cho tried on the numerous dresses she had handed to her. Finally, the door opened slightly and she poked her head out, "Um, I found one that fits, and is pretty comfortable…but uh… I'd rather have your opinion on what it looks like…"

As the door swung open slowly, Cho stepped out hesitantly and Hermione's jaw nearly hit the ground. She could have sworn that Cho couldn't get anymore captivating, but as she appeared before her, she suddenly realized she had forgotten how to breathe.

She had chosen the black dress. It was a formfitting, sleek dress that cutoff right before it hit the knees, and it complimented her flawless curves nicely. The dress itself had two straps that wrapped around her neck in a crisscross manor leaving the skin exposed on her collarbone.

She blushed and smiled, "Um…Hermione, are you there…? What do you think?"

Seeing her in such a splendid dress made Hermione's heart flutter, and she wanted to say she looked spectacular, but he only thing that came out was

"Hauh."

Cho looked at her because of the weird, half choking, half gawking, sound. "Err, is that a grunt of approval?" feeling stupid, Hermione hit her head. She opened her mouth to speak and

"Guuh."

Once again, she humiliated herself by not saying even a real word, but just sound affects. Inside, her head was screaming. _IDIOTIDIOTIDIOTIDIOTIDIOTIDIOT!_

Cho laughed and went back inside the dressing room to change back into her Muggle clothing. She came out and Hermione just stood up dumbly and paid for the dress. The clerk waved goodbye and asked them to come again. They took up each other's hand and started walking back.

They had walked in silence, the only sound was the paper bag brushing against Cho's leg, until Hermione spoke up.

"…I meant to say that dress looked nice."

/

After that, the summer went by rather slower than expected. They spent most of their time taking walks out to the park, and then just sit underneath a tree and soak up the fresh air and scenic sounds such as birds and laughing kids.

Harry and Ron were sending them owls at occasional intervals. Ron was having a grand time over in Romania, and he talked all about the different dragons that Charlie showed them. He even sent a photograph of all of them standing in front of various breeds such as the Romanian Longhorn, Norwegian Ridgeback, and the Antipodean Opaleye. The dragons would trample in the background as the Weasley family would run back and forth looking for cover.

Harry was sending cryptic letters from Sirius' house in case Hedgwig was intercepted or anything. They were having fun as far as she could tell, even though all they were doing was sneaking through the towns with Sirius in his animagus form snatching food and the like.

Finally, though, the day had arrived for the special event that Hermione had been planning to bring Cho to.

It was actually a cloudy night, with the moon not even able to penetrate the thick fog with its silver glow. There was a gloomy mist hanging about them as she held onto Cho's arm. "I'm going to apparate us over there. It's much too far for us to walk."

Cho was wearing her newly bought black dress, and Hermione was wearing a strapless white formal gown that went down below her knees. Firmly holding onto Cho's arm, she pictured the place in her mind and apparated there.

They squeezed through space and then uncompressed right next to the large building with a loud 'pop' sound. Nobody was around to see or hear them appear out of nowhere, and so they walked around to the front.

"What are we doing Hermione, where are we going?" she asked quietly as her brown-haired friend led her around a corner.

"Tickets please?" she heard a suave man ask. There was a moment of silence, and then he talked again, "Thank you, enjoy the performance."

Cho felt for Hermione's hand and held on. The man had said something about a performance. She was led into a building, and the atmosphere turned cool as the air conditioning blew into the building.

"We're going to go take a couple of seats here, but we need to cross over some people, watch where you step," whispered Hermione.

"S'cuse me."

"Pardon me."

They stepped across some feet, and they ended up sitting down in some very comfortable stationary seats with armrests. It was like the seating that was often found in the Muggle movie theatres only more extravagant.

Still holding hands, Cho leaned over to her left, "Hermione, where did you take me?" she whispered.

Hermione leaned in to her right, "We're in a performing hall. This is an orchestral symphony. It's music that Muggles make by playing different instruments like violins, violas, flutes, and things like that. I thought that…well…since you can't see, you'd like this. You don't need to see in order to feel music. What do you think…?"

Cho sat there, and as the lights dimmed, and the ensemble began their first movement, she turned her head and smiled, "It's perfect." She closed her eyes, though it made no difference because the wonderful music enveloped her, allowing her to unwind.

The orchestra played some of the classics from Bach, Beethoven, and also Mozart. Familiar tunes were played, and the crowd clapped politely after each brilliant song, but it was the last song that had ended the performance perfectly.

The first movement started of at a pianissimo, which was so soft, that she could barely hear it, and then it grew louder into an explosion of sound. The time signature changed often as the beat was thrown off at different rhythmic paces. It seemed erratic, but also a bit mysterious. Towards the end of it, it changed its key signature to match that of a happier tune.

The crowd applauded, and then quieted down as the orchestra began its second movement. A xylophone and marimba started off the movement happily, as it imitated the sound fluttering birds, and then the flutes joined in, adding to the harmonious mix. It sounded, and felt, like it was a joyous celebration. Every instrument was ringing with a festive tone. It was as if this were the exact feeling that Cho and Hermione had been feeling for the past few months. A delightful feeling that was too hard to explain with words, but something that this orchestra could easily put out with music.

But then the large bass drum and timpani struck, and cymbals clashed as it signaled the third and final movement. It was a dark movement that sounded of grief and anger. Such emotion and feeling was put into each strike on the large drum as it sounded like enraged thunder. It was fearful, but exciting all the same as the violins played frantically as high as they could on the E string while the lower strings and low brass played deep, menacing dark chords.

And then with one final, massive cymbal crash, every instrument stopped playing except for the first chair flute player. It still retained that melancholy tune, but with a twist. The happy fluttering notes that had been sprinkled all throughout the second movement were now mixed in, and then the song ended on a promising and bright chord.

The audience clapped as they gave a standing ovation to the talented musicians.

Everyone started to file out of the grand hall to the outside chill. Outside, the sky was still covered in those ominous clouds, and the moon was nowhere to be seen. Hermione and Cho walked outside hand in hand as they started to stroll absentmindedly down the sidewalk in the direction of home.

"That was… absolutely the best thing I've ever heard in my life," exclaimed Cho, "I never knew such a thing existed in the Muggle world. I'll have to go listen to more of these orchestra performances and-"

She suddenly stopped talking, her eyes wide.

"Cho, what's wrong?" asked Hermione, a hint of alarm behind her calm voice.

Slowly, but without elegance, she began to stumble off the sidewalk onto the grass. Hermione followed her, but was unsure where she was going, since she couldn't actually see.

They had walked into a nearby foliage-covered area. A thick concentration of trees surrounded them, but there wasn't an actual forest in this part of Britain, or at least, none that she knew of.

"Cho, Cho, where are you going?" she called after her through the thick leaves and bushes that obstructed her vision. She had no idea what was going on, but a feeling of anxiety began to pool at the bottom of her insides.

As she chased her deeper and deeper into the forest, that anxiety gave way to fear and began eating her away.

She swatted at a tree limb and suddenly found herself in an open field with Cho standing lonely in the middle of it.

Trees still surrounded them, but it seemed more like as if it were acting as a green fence more than anything. Clouds hung above them as Cho looked around frantically, suddenly remembering who and where she was.

"Hermione! Hermione! Where are you? We need to get out of here!" she yelled out.

Hermione broke into a run and desperately hugged her, "Oh Cho, why'd you run off like that? What happened?"

Cho's eyes showed deep concern, "I was put under an Imperious Curse! I know it! We must get out of here now!" Wasting no time, she grabbed her hand and began to run towards the direction where they came from, but suddenly they both stopped as they saw a figure emerge from the dense mass of trees.

"No… that's…impossible…!" choked Hermione as she stared at who was staring so coldly back at her. Cho shook her hard, "What, what is it? What do you see?"

"Hello Cho. Good to see you're happy without me."

Dropping her hands, and then falling to her knees due to the sheer weakness that enclosed her body, she felt tears sting her eyes and fall freely to the ground.

"…Cedric…? Is that you…?"

The ghostly but solid figure walked towards them, his pale skin as cold as his distant stare.

"_Petrificus Totalus!"_

Both girls suddenly froze in their spot as the petrification spell hit them. They couldn't move a muscle, but as soon as the person behind Cedric stepped into view, they wished they could.

Trademark red eyes and slits for a nose made Hermione want to scream out as Voldemort stepped into view, however she couldn't even utter a word due to the petrificus totalus spell.

"Cedric…I thought you had died! They found your body…and…you were killed… by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…" whimpered Cho as Cedric released her from the freezing spell by whispering _finite incantatem_.

He walked up to her and placed a bitter hand on her cheek, "Voldemort," she winced at his name, "has brought me back…but only temporarily." He looked at Hermione, who was standing rigidly, and sneered at her.

"I came back because I loved you so much…didn't you love me? _Don't_ you love me? Only if you proclaim your love for me right here will I be fully brought back to life." She looked up at him, but she couldn't see him. There was no warmth in his touch either, only something dead and isolated.

She began to think back on their time together, just her and Cedric. They were so happy together, dancing at the Yule ball, playing Quidditch matches against each other, and just being together.

"I…love…" she started quietly. Cedric looked at her with a loving yet poisonous smirk. Cho had almost said his name, but then she remembered the time she spent after his departure, the time she spent with Hermione.

Their experiences together were nearly the same. The warmth, the touch, the feeling of security and passion, she just couldn't choose between them. Had this happened right after the Triwizard Tournament, she would have immediately said she loved him, but too much has happened. It just didn't seem _right_.

She looked over in the direction of Hermione's presence. Cedric frowned in anger and stared in her direction.

"Don't tell me you've fallen for _her_," He spat out the last word with disgust, "What has she ever done for you? Nothing! You don't love her, and she very well doesn't love you, so just tell me what I need to hear! Tell me you love me! _IMPERIO!" _

Cho's brain was exploding, but with a good sensation.

_Say that you love Cedric. Say that you love Cedric._

"I…love…"

_Say that you love Cedric. Say that you love Cedric. SAY THAT YOU LOVE CEDRIC._

A small voice had started to fight back. She remembered the times she spent with Hermione, and she enjoyed it. The concert, teaching her how to play Quidditch… there's just too much.

No…I do love Cedric…but…I love Hermione more… she said back to the voice. 

_TELL HIM THAT YOU LOVE HIM. SAY THAT YOU LOVE CEDRIC._

"No!" she screamed.

Looking up, and although she couldn't see, she could feel the hurt look on Cedric's ghostly face. "I love you…but I love someone else more. I'm sorry…"

"No, no, NO!" Cedric screamed at the top of his lungs as his artificial flesh began to disappear. Voldemort grinned and hissed into his ear.

With anger and hate powering him, Cedric whipped his head around with a vicious look of revulsion and violently grabbed Hermione's throat as he pulled out his wand. "YOU DID THIS! YOU TURNED HER AGAINST ME AND WARPED HER LOVE TO YOU! _CRUCIO!_"

Hermione's ear-piercing scream ripped through the dead air as her body felt as if it were being jabbed and punctured by hot steel knives. Her skin itself did not tear physically, but in her mind, she felt as if death were now something more inviting.

"I'LL GET RID OF YOU…YOU… FILTHY MUDBLOOD! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" He shrieked as Hermione shook and convulsed, helplessly clutching her body on the ground.

"No, Hermione!" shouted Cho as she leapt up, "Don't hurt her!" She ran over to their direction, attempting to do something to try and stop him. All he did was extend his arm and push her away.

"Stay out of this! She is the one who ruined your love for me! I'm going to get rid of her so we can be happy together, just like we used to be before I died!" he cried out. Voldemort hissed at him from behind and Cedric nodded.

"_SECTUMSEMPRA!" _

Just as the deadly curse had been uttered, Cho flung herself in front of Hermione's already shaking body due to the Cruciatuscurse.

Right before her eyes, and Cedric's, Cho's body literally ripped itself apart. Just as if a sword was slashed across her chest, her torso split open with a ragged gash that ran from her shoulder down to her opposing hip, blood spurting everywhere. She let out one ragged scream before falling to the floor limp and unmoving.

Cedric panicked, "No! Cho, why'd you save this stupid girl? That wasn't meant for you! I never wanted to harm you, WHY'D YOU DO IT?"

Just then, Dumbledore, Harry, Ron, Sirius, and Lupin burst through the thick foliage behind them. Voldemort's blood-red eyes darted towards them and as soon as he saw Dumbledore, he hissed and fled.

Cedric was left with no more power, and so the flesh that had started to disappear, began to blow away in the wind as dust. No longer filled with spite and hatred, he took one long look at Cho's body. A spectral tear slid down his now transparent skin and he reached out for her.

"I'm so sorry."

A rushing gust swept away his spirit and artificial body as it turned into nothing but dust. Hermione was also released from the Cruciatus curse, and she stood up with a head-splitting ache. When she saw Cho's body, she suddenly wished she had the comfort of a Cruciatus curse instead.

Cho's blood-spattered body was torn and ripped with a giant slash diagonally down across her torso. A thick sanguine liquid was oozing out of the cut.

The pain of seeing her bleeding body tore her apart, and it ripped at her soul more than any curse could. Anguish, torment, and sadness, but mostly guilt washed through her body as she remembered what she saw so long ago.

That exact same picture. It happened when she had crashed while riding her broomstick, and Cho had saved her by putting a cushion beneath her. When she had gone to go see if Cho was okay, that image of her bleeding had flashed before her eyes. Now, it has happened.

"NO!" she cried, "She's not dead!"

Running over to her pale body, she rested a trembling hand on her feeble-looking face. She had lost her grace and elegance to the scarlet liquid that was splattered across her delicate skin. Everyone else suddenly gathered around her.

Dumbledore pulled out his wand and kept uttering some sort of spell or charm as he waved it over Cho's pulsing red body. The large slash across her chest seemed to stop oozing blood, and it even started to stitch itself back together.

He stood up and looked at her grimly and shook his head. Hermione's silent tears were sliding down her cheeks like a faucet as she stared into Cho's agonized face. She bent over and placed her forehead against hers, and began to whisper so quietly that only Cho could hear, if she were able to hear at all anymore.

"I love you."

She stood up, everyone's eyes on her as she grabbed Harry's wand that he had in his pocket. She wasn't sure what the effects of using a wand that wasn't specialized for the user were, but she was about to find out.

"_ENNERVATE!" _ she aimed at Cho's unmoving body as it was hit with the spell. It jumped up.

Nothing.

Frowning with despair, anger, and love, she pointed the wand again.

"_ENERVATE!"_ Cho's body jumped again.

Nothing.

"_ENERVATE _DAMNIT!" she screamed with all emotion. Normally it would have been hilarious to hear Hermione curse, since she never condoned the use of them, but in times like these, it wasn't funny. Even the lightest of curse words like _damn_ seemed horrible to Hermione.

But maybe the damnit did it. Cho's body began moving, slowly, but it did start moving. She clenched her teeth in seething pain and opened her eyes.

"Where…where am I?" she asked weakly.

Hermione stared at her with shock, and then gave her a fervent kiss. Everyone stared in bewilderment, and Ron looked as if his heart was shot out of him, but they shrugged it off as they realized the situation they were under.

Cho smiled jokingly, "And what was that for?" Hermione gave a stressed laugh and nearly choked, "Are you kidding? You nearly died! I couldn't have had you die on me!" And she gave her vice-like hug.

"That's enough Miss Granger, I believe Miss Chang needs her rest," said Dumbledore, much to the surprise of Cho, who wasn't able to see all the people around her. She blushed suddenly, "How long were you guys standing there?"

Harry looked down at her bleeding body, sad because of the unexpected kiss yet relieved at the same time because she didn't die.

"Long enough to see what's going on between you guys," he joked with a hint of jealousy behind his voice.

Lupin looked at both Hermione and Cho and thought that they might want some alone time due to the circumstances. He coughed, "Well, I believe I need to get going before the full moon hits me. Will you guys all accompany me home please?"

Ron looked at him childishly, "But you can't even see the moon right now, there's too many-" Sirius elbowed him in the side, knocking the wind, and the stupidity, out of him. He nodded his head.

"Let's get going." All five of them walked away into the sea of green and out of sight.

Hermione looked down into Cho's cloudy eyes and realized that her own pair of eyes were still misty from crying.

"You nearly died…I thought I had lost you to Cedric…" at the mention of his name, Cho winced.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said that." Added Hermione quickly as she realized how it must have felt to have been betrayed by her first love.

Cho looked up into her eyes and smiled, "Did you really mean what you said before?"

Hermione understood exactly what she meant, "Yes…I do really…love you a lot. When I saw you practically die right before my eyes, my heart was ripped from me. It hurt loads more than the Cruciatus Curse, though that did drive me insane."

They both chuckled lightly and continued to gaze at each other. Cho grinned, "If that curse could drive you insane, imagine what I can do." Hermione blushed fiercely and laughed to mask her embarrassment.

"Oh you're such an idiot…" she said lovingly as she smiled into a kiss.


	9. Epilogue

Trials and Tribulations

Epilogue

After the whole ordeal in the summer, the return to Hogwarts and a large overdose of schoolwork seemed like a breeze in comparison. Cho had to stay a few days in the Hospital Wing just to make sure she was in good enough condition to continue on in school.

Of course, where there are students, there are rumors. As soon as the kids flooded the halls of Hogwarts, Hermione had been bombarded by questions from everyone in all of the houses, not just Gryffindor and Ravenclaw.

She just said nothing.

That night was supposed to be a special one, but instead it turned out to be an event which caused Cho to relive her lost love and choose between the past and the present. It was a dilemma, with no perfectly good option in sight.

Still, they had gotten through it. Voldemort had escaped, but that was the least of Hermione's worries.

The spell that Cedric had learned, the _sectumsempra_ curse, it had nearly killed poor Cho. A large scar still covers an immense portion of her torso, and it will never heal from her body, or memory.

Somehow, the school also found out that Cho had gone blind. They all rushed to her, trying to give her their condolences and pity, but she just smiled back at them warmly and said it was no big deal. It also seemed that the whole school had found out about their relationship as well (probably because Ron had told Ginny, who had told Fred and George, and then the rest of the school).

Some of the students, mostly Slytherins, would give them dirty looks, and even Draco said that it only added to the fact that she was Mudblood trash.

Most of the school however, supported them, and even a few girls came out to tell Cho how they felt, as if they were given courage from knowing that she liked Hermione. The guys on the other hand, acted like it was a severe loss for all of mankind.

"Aw, she was so gorgeous that she even attracted girls with her looks. No wonder no guy was given any time of day from her! Hey, maybe Cedric was actually a girl…!" some said in a joking manner.

The whole time Cho was recuperating, Hermione had thought up of another perfect plan for during the school time. It would be her last wonderful gift that she could possibly offer her, besides playing Quidditch again.

"Come on Cho! I want to show you something special…" their hands were intertwined together as they raced through the hallways all around Hogwarts, making their way to the seventh floor.

They finally came to a stop and Cho gasped for air. She hadn't run like that since she was conditioning her oxygen control since Quidditch practice. Panting, she tried to listen around to find where they were. There was no sound, except for them breathing deeply, not even a talking student.

Hermione walked past a piece of wall three times, concentrating profoundly on her special gift.

It was in the Room of Requirement.

"Come on, it's ready!" she exclaimed happily as she grabbed Cho's hand. "Oh and… close your eyes before we go in, okay?"

The Ravenclaw sighed sarcastically, "As if it really mattered…" still, she shut them tightly and let Hermione guide her into the room. She had no idea what she was about to see, and so when they stepped inside and shut the door, she let out a gasp of surprise as she felt the ground slightly give way after each step.

"Open your eyes," whispered Hermione, her breath tickling Cho's left ear. Once again, she rolled her eyes, "It won't make any…difference…?" she trailed off as she opened her eyes and looked around.

She was able to see again.

The room itself had transformed into some sort of a tropical paradise island. It was lush with all sorts of varying plant life, like palm trees and other exotic bushes. Little fruits of different sizes and colors spotted the multiple trees and vines hung from the branches lazily.

The trees parted down the middle to reveal the whitest sand she had ever seen in her life. It was if they had disapparated to the best beach in Hawaii. Cho took unbelievable steps and let the feathery sand shift under each foot.

Both girls walked through the parting and were greeted with a sight of a large cliff. Down the middle, a waterfall was spilling down into the most extraordinarily crystal clear blue water. It was the size of a massive circular swimming pool or small lake.

"Hermione…! I…I…can see! I can see all of these things!" she turned to face Hermione, and she could _see_ her. Her features had aged, probably due to the increasing stress she had faced this year. Her long brunette hair was still unruly and frizzy, but it now reached down to her chest.

Tears streamed down her face, "I…can see you." Those crystal dark blue eyes were now sparkling with their old fire that she once had before going blind; no hint of cloudiness or a shroud. She gave a running hug and tackled Hermione to the sand playfully.

"Come on! Let's go swim! Oh, it's so clear!" They both ran and jumped into the water, robes and all. They swam around and splashed each other with water happily.

Cho dunked her head underwater and looked around at all of the sea life underneath. Fishes of all kinds were swimming at the very bottom, and tortoises were swimming in circles with their families.

She came back above water for a gulp of fresh air and scanned the water. "Where's Hermione?"

As if on cue, arms wrapped around her neck and a giggle was heard behind her. "Haha, silly, I've got you. You can't escape me!" Wriggling underneath her grasp, Cho turned around and kissed her deeply. Pulling her face back just barely enough to breathe, she grinned slyly, "Escape? Why would I want to do that?"

They pressed their lips together again. The feeling of the cool water around them, and just the fact that they were holding each other was enough to make them feel at ease. Breaking to take another breath, Cho started swimming back towards the shore.

Hermione followed, and the pair plopped down on the sand close to each other, their robes soaked and dripping wet.

Cho flipped over on her side and wrapped her arms around Hermione, bringing her closer to her so that their bodies pressed closely up against each other. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying just the sounds of birds and lapping waves. Cho's chest pulsed up and down against Hermione's back in the tempo of her heartbeat. Finally, she broke the silence.

"How were you able to restore my eyesight? Isn't it…physically and magically impossible?"

Hermione didn't respond immediately, but instead rolled over to face Cho, and placed a kiss on her neck. "The Room of Requirement will give you whatever you need, as long as you desire it in your mind. I desired a room that would allow you to see once again, and so it gave me that. It is the one loophole to reality."

Cho sighed, "So…once I step out of here…I won't be able to see anymore?" Hermione shook her head and placed more kisses along her exposed collarbone. "I'm sorry…like you said, it's impossible. The room only gives you temporary sight, so long as you stay in it. But we can stay in here for as long as you want…that is… until we have class again."

Cho looked at her and smiled, "In that case, I never want to leave. I love you." Dark blue, sparkling eyes enchanted Hermione and she laughed.

"I never want to leave either." She kissed her feverishly and pulled Cho into a tighter embrace. Smiling into the kiss, she deepened the lip lock before pulling away just enough to speak, their lips touching each time she moved her mouth.

"I love you."

Author's Note 

Sorry for finishing it so early. I had another fanfic in mind, and if I didn't finish this now, I'd get sidetracked and never finish it at all. Also, school will be starting in less than a month, so I need to get this one done.

Rushed it a bit, and I left out something that I really wanted to happen, but I guess I'll have to put that in a different story.

Hope you liked!


End file.
